1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (225 page)

Nonetheless, the world’s varieties of abalone are so in demand that they all are protected from overfishing to some degree or another. Many are now being farmed in various regions, especially in the icy Pacific waters off Australia, New Zealand, and Northern California. The two most favored varieties are the blackfoot abalone (
Haliotis iris
), found mostly in New Zealand, where it is known by its Maori name,
paua
, and the red abalone (
Haliotis rufescens
), the largest of all and the one preferred along the Pacific coast of the U.S.

Not only is the abalone difficult to wrest from the rocks, but it’s also a challenge to extricate from its shell, and once out, the flesh must be pounded to edibility. The result is a texture and flavor that suggests a combination of calamari and conch. Even the mollusk’s shells, once emptied, are prized. Their shimmering nacreous lining is the basis of mother-of-pearl, which is inlaid into many decorative objects such as boxes, small dishes, and dressing-table accessories. Considering all this, it is no wonder whole live abalones go for about one hundred dollars apiece and thus are subject to the black market and bootlegging.

Although harvesting abalone is illegal in Oregon and Washington, it is permitted for licensed sport around Monterey Bay in California from April to November, excluding July. Commercial fishing for wild abalone is illegal, but the state is home to abalone farms, including one in Cayucos, where much of the “catch” goes to local restaurants and fish markets. In New Zealand, paua is gathered recreationally and commercially, with strict catch limits set for each, and it is also farmed.

In addition to fresh, abalone is available canned and dried (the latter look like large, round, dried mushrooms). Both are usually less expensive than when they are fresh and better suited to cooking, the dried being preferable to the canned. It is also much favored by the Chinese for medicinal purposes.

How does the world eat abalone? The Japanese favorite is raw abalone as sashimi, but some chefs simmer the slim steaks in sake and serve it warm. The Chinese like dried abalone braised with sea cucumber or stir-fried with hot chiles and vegetables. Koreans favor abalone in
jeonbokjuk
, their version of the Chinese rice porridge congee (see
listing
). In France’s Brittany, pounded slices are sautéed in butter, then topped with a sauce of muscadet, garlic, parsley, and pepper, and baked in a hot oven for about five minutes to emerge as
ormeaux au beurre Breton.
In Spain, where abalone is called
oreja de mar
(ear of the sea), it is served raw or lightly fried for tapas sometimes topped with an egg. In New Zealand, it’s often minced, combined with onions and chiles, and fried as fritters.

No matter where you eat it, it’s a delicacy—among the world’s greatest, costliest comestibles.

Where:
In Wellington, New Zealand
, Logan Brown, tel 64/4-801-5114,
loganbrown.co.nz
;
in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi
, Hakkasan,
hakkasan.com
;
in Honolulu
, Chef Mavro, tel 808-944-4714,
chefmavro.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Bon Juk, tel 213-380-2248,
bonjuk.co.kr
; Zo, tel 213-935-8409;
in Cayucos, CA
, Hoppe’s Garden Bistro & Wine Shop, tel 805-995-1006,
hoppesbistro.com
;
in San Francisco
, Boulevard, tel 415-543-6084,
boulevardrestaurant.com
; North Beach Restaurant, tel 415-392-1700,
northbeachrestaurant.com
;
in Bow, WA
, The Oyster Bar, tel 360-766-6185,
theoysterbar.net
;
in New York
, Amazing 66, tel 212-334-0099; Toro, tel 212-691-2360,
toro-nyc.com
.
Retail and mail order:
In Morro Bay, CA
, Giovanni’s Fish Market, tel 888-463-2056,
giovannisfishmarket.com
;
in Vancouver
, Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant, tel 604-232-0816,
seaharbour.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Abalone Book
by Peter Howorth (1978);
The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook
by Gloria Bley Miller (1984);
Japanese Cooking
by Shizuo Tsuji (2012);
North Atlantic Seafood
by Alan Davidson (2012);
sbs.com.au
(search paua tapas recipe);
bbc.com
(search why abalone is new zealand’s catch of the day);
montereyabalone.com
(click Recipes).

Australia’s carpetbag steak combines two of the country’s most celebrated products: fresh, sea-bright oysters and (ideally) free-range, grass-fed beef. The name of this specialty derives from the shape of the finished dish. Although many recipes call for broiling the steaks or grilling them over charcoal, those methods tend to dry out the meat and prevent its beefy juices from mingling into the oozy lushness of the salty oysters. Better to sauté the steaks for a moistly tender result with maximum flavor contrast.

Serves 4

Necessary equipment: Kitchen string and a trussing needle or small satay-type skewers

4 filet mignon steaks, each about 2 inches thick or 7 to 8 ounces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 medium-size oysters, as freshly shucked as possible

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 to 3 anchovy fillets (optional), finely mashed

1.
Using a very sharp knife with a thin blade, cut a 2-inch-long horizontal slit on the edge of each steak to make a pocket about 2 inches deep.

2.
Sprinkle salt and pepper onto both sides of each oyster. Slip 2 oysters, side by side, into the pocket of each steak.

3.
Close the opening of each pocket, either by sewing it shut using kitchen string and a trussing needle, or by fastening it with a small skewer. Pat the steaks dry on both sides with paper towels.

4.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron or copper, over moderate heat. When the bubbling subsides, arrange the oyster-stuffed steaks in the skillet, making sure that they do not touch one another.

5.
Cook the steaks on one side until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes, then turn them over and lightly brown them on the second side, about 3 to 4 minutes time. Reduce the heat to low and cook the steaks, turning them frequently, 7 minutes longer for very rare steak, or 9 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Anything more cooked than that will hardly be worth eating. Transfer the steaks to individual serving plates.

6.
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and stir in the parsley. Spoon some of the parsley butter over each steak before serving. If you like the edgy sophistication that anchovies can impart, stir the mashed fillets into the parsley butter before spooning it over the steaks.

Where:
In Woodvale, Western Australia
, Paul Conti Wines, tel 61/894-099-160,
paulcontiwines.com.au
;
in Hobart, Tasmania
, Ball & Chain Grill, tel 61/362-232-655,
ballandchain.com.au
;
in New York
, The Musket Room, tel 212-219-0764,
musketroom.com
.

A specialty of the outback bush country, damper is an elemental bread with a wood-fire-etched crust and a gentle, sconelike flavor. The perfect foil for heavy barbecues and thick stews, when glossed with butter and a generous drizzling of wild honey or golden syrup it becomes a popular accompaniment to “billy tea,” the strong black tea cooked in the outback in a metal jug over a wood fire.

The authentic, simple, stiff dough involves only flour, water, and a little salt—and a preparation one can easily imagine becoming the next big trend among experimentally minded outdoor cooks.

Kneaded until it blisters, the dough must rest for an hour before being rolled into a thick, snakey rope that is then twisted, serpent-style, around a long, freshly cut, green tree branch. Holding that branch over a red-hot charcoal fire and turning it frequently for about an hour isn’t the most comfortable of endeavors, but it’s the most authentic. As an alternative, the dough can be patted into a pan and baked in a cast-iron camp oven. Baker’s choice, but the less labor-intensive task does lead to a somewhat less delectable result.

These days, the dough might include cheese, herbs, nuts, raisins, or crushed wattleseeds (see
listing
) as a stylish touch. Whatever the contents, the finished, crusty results should be served piping hot.

Where:
In Cairns, Australia
, Ochre Restaurant, tel 61/7-4051-0100,
ochrerestaurant.com.au
;
in Inverell, Australia
, Royal Restaurant on Byron, tel 61/267-210-351,
royalinverell.com/restaurant
.
Further information and recipes:
The Down Under Cookbook
by Graeme Newman (1987);
Cooking the Australian Way
by Elizabeth Germaine (2013);
Australian Damper Recipes
by Loreena Walsh (2014);
food.com
(search australian damper);
bbc.co.uk
(aussie olive damper bread);
lifestylefood.com.au
(search aussie olive damper bread).

A rite of passage not to be missed by any first-time, food-loving visitor to Australia, Doyles on the Beach has been a delightful venue for local seafood since 1885. Run by the fifth generation of its founding family, the restaurant now has several outposts in Sydney—but the original spot in Watsons Bay is the only one that offers the pleasurable experience of sitting outdoors right on the beach in the convivial café, overlooking the water after a short and lovely ferry ride from Sydney.

The most felicitous time for a visit would be a sunny weekday, when weekend crowds aren’t lined up for tables and the staff has more time to explain the qualities of each denizen of the local deep. Not to be overlooked are the house-classic prawn cocktail, the elegant Queensland tin can scallops, the creamy froth of a seafood chowder, Sydney rock oysters (see
listing
), fish and chips fried in a crackling beer batter, briny blue swimmer crabs, snowy white flathead fillets, delicate sand whiting, barramundi (see
listing
), ocean trout and hiramasa kingfish, meaty tiger prawns barbecued or fried in cakes, green-lipped New Zealand mussels (see
listing
), and whatever the seasonal day’s catch may be.

The menu also features many international seafood dishes, but the simplest preparations are best for those really interested in appreciating the unique qualities of each variety of fish.

Other Doyles locations vary more in style than in substance, with much the same menu choices more simply prepared—as at the Sydney Fish Market and on the Watsons Bay wharf, where taking away has as many devotees as eating in.

Where:
Doyles on the Beach, 11 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay, Sydney, tel 61/2-9337-2007,
doyles.com.au
; Doyles at Sydney Fish Markets, Gipps St., Pyrmont, tel 61/2-9552-4339; Doyles on the Wharf, Fishermans Wharf, Watsons Bay, Sydney, tel 61/2-9337-1572.
Tip:
The Doyle kitchens’ advice on all manner of basic fish preparations is generously shared, along with recipes, on the website (
doyles.com.au
).

The only birds larger than emus are ostriches.

Smaller than its African near-cousin the ostrich, and with three toes instead of two, the emu (
Dromaius novaehollandiae
) is another one of those strangely flightless runners. It is also the world’s second-largest living bird, growing up to five
or six feet in height. Much prized as a food source by Australia’s aborigines, the giant bird is farmed in the U.S. as well as in its native land.