Although I was familiar with the shellfish known as Abalone or Ormeau in French, I had never cooked with it.
My cooking style is modern French but I was looking for a new ingredient or cooking idea that would give me a creative edge and allow me to explore more local produce.
I understood that abalone, although well known in Australia as an Asian delicacy, was not a common ingredient in any western restaurants, so this encouraged me even more to pursue my idea.
As a well known seafood in Australia, I thought it would be easy to source, but this was not the case as it is mostly exported to Asia.
I was then introduced to Ausab, a large sustainable abalone farming operation that was able to quickly satisfy my requirements with their excellent -20°C Individual Quick Frozen (IQF) product range. Their abalone, although the same species, is a smaller size than abalone from the wild, which I am sure gives it a more tender texture.
There are many myths about abalone and how difficult it is to prepare and cook but my experience was the opposite.
Indeed I have been delighted with its versatility, ease of preparation, as well as its general appearance on the plate.
Contrary to many beliefs, I have found that Ausab's Australian abalone lends itself to a variety of cooking styles and techniques.
It has certainly provided me with the creative advantage I was looking for, to the extent where it became my restaurant's signature dish for an extended period.
I still use abalone on the menu regularly and have prepared it in a variety of ways including tempura, slow-cooked whole in shell, sashimi and sous-vide style.
My slow-cooked dish was featured in the Age newspaper and provided me with some good publicity that I may not have attracted by simply using mainstream ingredients.
Patrice Repellin
Koots Salle à Manger,
Melbourne, Australia
The Age Good Food Guide
2004 - 2011
rated 15/20 ond one Chef's Hat
