Abalone
Fridays just before a three-day weekend are the best. Sometimes the anticipation of a full 72-hour
respite is arguably better than the actual respite. But I’m confident this weekend will live up
to my expectations. My friend Allison
from graduate school and her friend will be in town, so Lloyd and I get to
entertain a little for the first time since we’ve been in Hawaii.
We’re inviting them to go kayaking at Kailua Beach
Sunday and then have a cook-out here at home.
Here’s the menu I came up with…
Abalone is a new type of seafood for me. I tried my very first taste last night. Lloyd and I grabbed a bite to eat before a
movie, and when I saw abalone gnocchi on the menu, I had to give it a try. It was chewy and mild, similar to one of my all time favorite seafoods, squid.
Abalone caught my attention because I plan to go to the Saturday Farmers’ Market at Kapiolani
Community College tomorrow, and had seen one of this week’s specials is Big Island Abalone.
Some
wild species of abalone are endangered, but Big Island
raises their own abalone. According to this
interesting article about the company, their
10-acre farm holds more than two million abalone in various stages of growth
and produces 70 tons of abalone a year. Besides
abalone, the farm also grows its own brown algae to feed the abalone. I may have to go take a tour some day.
