Abalone · 鮑 (あわび)

The emperor of shellfish. Raw it is a defiant crunch; steamed for hours as mushi-awabi it turns custard-tender with a deep marine perfume.

Female ama divers have harvested awabi by breath-hold for two thousand years — some still work the same reefs their grandmothers did.

Category: kai · Season: summer (peak Jun, Jul, Aug) · Origin: Japan, California

Preparations

Nigiri 握り · Sashimi 刺身