Delicacy From The Sea

The sea is a larder of fine eating experiences, and a humble mollusc is a firm favourite on the TRUE NORTH.

Back in the day not too many Aussies even knew what an abalone was, let alone how good they were to eat. In fact, this less than conspicuous shellfish with a liking for wave swept reef was mostly only taken by hard core members of the early skin-diving fraternity – those who used mask and snorkel that hadn’t changed much in appearance since mask and snorkel were first invented. And it wasn’t very common to encounter the shellfish on a menu either – perhaps only the very best Chinese restaurants offered as traditional fare. And even after we became more inclined to forage under the sea, abalone for a long time were considered too tough to eat – the only way to prepare was to pound them to something just shy of not much more than pulp.

However, the tide slowly began to change. No doubt we first noticed how much others were prepared to pay – there must be something special about a sea-critter that commands more at market than the revered rock lobster. Then we learnt that you didn’t have to go to an expensive Chinese restaurant to enjoy fine tasting abalone – in fact, with some breadcrumbs and a little less pounding, you were just about there!

Roll forward to current day and snorkelling for abalone is a favourite activity on the TRUE NORTH – especially on the Adventure South-West cruise from Perth where you get to sample both the generous-sized greenlip and, more-delicate roe’s abalone.