Abalone – Tarama
Ingredients
- Abalone - 4 pieces (2-3 oz each), live
- Tarama - 2 tablespoons, greek cured carp roe
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 3 cups
- Almond Meal - 3 tablespoons
- Lemon Juice - 3 tablespoons
- Cucumber - 2 pieces
- Greek Yogurt - ½ cup
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Sherry Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Mint - 2 sprigs
- Lime Juice - 1
- Coarse sea salt - 1 teaspoon (we use Hanapepe salt from Kauai)
- Sea salt & peppercorn from the mill to taste.
Instructions
Abalones: Clean & wash the abalone, remove the guts (Japanese call it “Kimo” where it is considered a delicacy. But if you are not interested, just discard it). Reserve the shell.
Pour enough olive oil in a sauce pot to cover the abalones. Bring the oil to 135 degees only; then confit the abalone for 6 to 8 minutes until tender.
Drain the oil from the abalone & reserve.
Tarama: In a blender process the tarama, almond meal, lemon juice to a paste consistency then add 1 cup of olive oil at low speed to obtain the finished version of the tarama (taramosalata in Greek).
Cucumber: Cut length wise one cucumber skin on into thin slices, cure the slices with sea salt & refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Cut the other cucumber, seedless, into long julienne (strips). Cure the julienne the same way as the slices.
Drain & dry the cucumber, julienne & slices.
Tzatziki: In a bowl, puree the garlic; add the sherry vinegar, yogurt, olive oil & mint. Toss the julienne of cucumber with the tzatziki.
Plating: On a plate, form a ring with the cucumber slices. Fill up the ring with tarama. On the other side of the plate place the abalone shell filled with the julienne of cucumber.
Season the abalone with the lime juice & olive oil; sprinkle with the coarse sea salt. Slice the abalone into 4 pieces and place it on top of the cucumber.
Serve with toasted pita bread.
