what size abalone should I order?

There are a lot of ways to answer this! We like to think of the small 4 year old abalone as appetizer-sized, and the Extra Large 8 year old ab as a dinner steak, filet mignon actually.

Larger abs are fun to experiment with, because there's more meat to work with, you can prepare them a couple of ways.

Larger abs have a greater depth of flavor, though smaller abs are easier to tenderize. Big or small, when treated properly, no matter the size, abalone is fork tender.

what does abalone taste like?

Of course, it depends on how it's served...

Raw abalone is crispy and tastes of the sea, "the flavor is mild, slightly sweet, with a butteriness that's unusual in shellfish," says Langdon Cook, author of the blog, Fat of the Land

The traditional California recipe is to shuck it, bread it, pound it, slice it, sauté it in butter, and squeeze some lemon on it. That's the way co-owner Art Seavey eats it. "It's pretty filling because the meat is almost all protein. Abalone store their energy as glycogen; they don't store it as fat. It's dense muscle, a little bit sweet and salty. It's good," - vice.com

How do I shuck an abalone?

Put abalone in the freezer 20 minutes before you begin to process them. Cold temperatures make them less mobile. Then check out the preparation tips on the "Cleaning" page.

Andrew uses an old plastic putty knife, Elizabeth uses a fat, round edged sandwich knife. Other choices include filet knives, icing spatulas or fish spatulas.