Prized Gaelic abalone launched into UK luxury catering market

Irish shellfish producers Connemara Abalone Ltd. and Tower Aqua Ltd. have announced the availability of the rare and much-prized Japanese abalone species (haliotis discus hannai, commonly known as “ezo”), for sale to the UK and Irish markets.

The launch of this premium abalone species was accompanied by a masterclass with award-winning Irish chef Tim O'Sullivan of the Renvyle House Hotel, Connemara, Co. Galway.

Held at Divertimenti's Cookery School in London's West End, Maureen Williams, managing director of Divertimenti said: "Consistently on the cutting edge of cooking, Divertimenti are delighted to provide Gaelic abalone producers with the perfect setting for their launch into the London seafood scene, and I look forward to seeing their abalone used in our own cookery school".

O'Sullivan introduced the product: "It's a wonderful shellfish that I have worked with in the past. I love cooking with it; the taste is delicate, subtle, and very sophisticated. While abalone is clearly a shellfish and looks a little like a large scallop when out of its shell, it has its own unique texture and flavour.

"There is an absolute purity about them which is as rare in seafood as the species itself. Eating them is a rare pleasure too as they are as soft to cut through as the purest of Irish butter.

Irish abalone are born and reared in state-of-the-art aquaculture farms on the lush coast of the Beara peninsula in Co. Cork, and on the austere rocky shore of Co. Galway where the Atlantic Ocean meets Galway Bay.

They are fed entirely on locally harvested seaweed, with none of the artificial substitutes or additives fed to farmed species in other countries. Abalone are normally shipped live in cool insulated boxes by overnight courier.

They can be prepared for eating by first "shucking" the animal from its shell, briefly tenderising to relax the muscle, and then either steaming, boiling, frying, or marinating.

Words: Clare Riley

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