In my search for fun and exciting seafood to bring to the Oyster Bar, I found some abalone for you to enjoy, and with a great story to boot.
Abalone is a large sea snail that can be served raw on the half shell, stewed or fried in the kitchen. I, of course, like to show things on the half shell — as fresh and live as possible. It has the texture of a firm carrot and is almost as veggie sweet in the flavour. The abalone dines on seaweed and kelp and thus tastes of what it eats.
Abalone is, as well, very difficult to find. I didn’t know how hard until I went actively looking for the snails.
The pinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) is a naturally occurring sea snail found up and down the Pacific coast of North America. Apparently, we like the critter so much we have over-fished the wild stock as it is now listed on the Threatened Species list with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
That means that we are not allowed to harvest, catch, or serve it at all. Unless, that is, the abalone is cultured in a farm.
Luckily, I’ve found the only abalone farm in British Columbia. The Huu-ay-aht First Nations community has set up an abalone farm with the DFO in Bamfield, B.C. This project employes six people and they are responsible for operating the abalone hatchery and for releasing hearty, healthy abalone into the wild.
To help off-set the costs, and in an effort to establish a live abalone market, the Huu-ay-aht are allowed to sell some of the abalone to restaurants. C restaurant in Vancouver was the first to get it in and Starfish is the second.
Before we get the abalone in I have to have a license to handle the "at risk" species. The permit allows me to receive and serve the pinto abalone from the farm. I may not take the abalone out on a catering job, nor can the shells leave the building. I actually have to destroy the shells or mail them back to B.C. The shells are worth something in an after-market, and allowances for this have not been created yet in the structure.
You are welcome to come down to Starfish and enjoy the crisp, clean taste of this delicacy of the sea, and actually help re-introduce the stock into the wild! We will show them for $15 each, and will run as long as the season permits.
Shuckingly yours, Patrick
Patrick McMurray is the owner of Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill and The Ceili Cottage. He is also a World Champion Oyster Shucker. Catch his blog weekly at PostCity.com.
