Comments on: Kapinan / Donkey’s Ear Abalone / Mimigai

By: jesse renen sanchez

jesse renen sanchez — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:05:13 +0000

actually my dad is an abalone supplier here in palawan… and he is looking for a buyer, if you’re interested just call him at 09397915001>>> his abalone is for export. actually he has a Korean buyer here in Philippines…

By: wil-b cariaga

wil-b cariaga — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:55:57 +0000

At Laoag, my grandfather’s sisters owned a handicraft/sari sari store before, and i remember visiting that store when i was a kid, seashells, bamboo, beads, yarn, ribbons and stuff etc., all that are needed to make handicrafts, and at the back of the store there are huge tanks of boiling dye. . . do you remember those bamboo strips you had for home economics for weaving baskets, fans etc.? they dip them there them there for coloring, It was a big business during that time, ever since my grandpa was a kid they already had that store. . .I think the store burned down like 3 times and they have to change the store name after each fire. . . maybe because of superstition or i dunno. . . I remember they named it after my grandpas sons. . .

By: Marketman

Marketman — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:51:34 +0000

Apicio, omigod, I went to site! The pens are exquisite. Now those are REAL luxury items. jenny, in cans? Where they in water with flavorings, or just plain? Homebuddy, I just blog about what I run across… :) fried neurons, you are right, the local abalones in the pics above are tny compared to the cooler climate abalones. Mel, thanks for that info…and how cool that you work with these shells… skyemermaid, cool, that certainly sounds fresh! elaine, unfortunately, museum quality it is not. A quirk of nature… some of the rarest shells 30 years ago are now more common…they just had to look harder. So a golden cowrie, gloria maris or cypraea guttata that had the oooh factor then is a bit ho-hum now…

By: Apicio

Apicio — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:07:50 +0000

I like the dark irridescent water-painting-like patterns of the penultimate picture reminiscent of the patterns found in certain Japanese swords. Oh you should see what these anal retentive people do with abalone shells: https://www.nakaya.org/special/ekandra.html

By: jenny

jenny — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:21:53 +0000

Friends gave us cans of abalone, from Palawan, they said. We sliced it into strips and cooked it with stir-fried vegetables. It was very tasty.

By: Homebuddy

Homebuddy — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:03:21 +0000

MM you are such a storehouse of information and knowledge! We appreciate your posts which are very interesting and always a source of enlightenment to everyone.

By: fried-neurons

fried-neurons — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:06:02 +0000

Hmm… was just looking at those pics again. Based on how it compares with the hand, it looks like the size of a big tahong. Northern CA abalone are much larger. They are quite flavorful, though. Very delicious. Maybe the texture is due to improper cooking. It shouldn’t be boiled or fried, because it will overcook. Only the central part of the creature is eaten. I forget what it’s called. It should be pounded to near-oblivion prior to cooking. Cookingtime should be no longer than 2 minutes per side with an average-sized abalone. Serve with beurre blanc. Yum!!!

By: Mel Wood

Mel Wood — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:45:32 +0000

In New Zealand, those are called Paua. I didn’t know our own abalone are smaller than New Zealand’s paua shells. I have tasted the paua meat here cooked as fritters and yes, MM, like the abalone meat you’ve tasted, it’s quite rubbery and not that tasty. I also work in a factory here (www.pauashell.co.nz) using the paua shells to make all sorts of novelty items like, fashion jewellery (necklaces, earrings, bracelets), kitchen utensils adorned with the paua shell boards, souvenir items, giftware etc. It’s amazing how the company have made a big industry out of this deep sea shell.

By: skyemermaid

skyemermaid — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:05:51 +0000

while vacationing in surigao, some teenagers at the beach taught me to how eat shells which i suspect were abalone. you take a deep breath, dive into the water, grope the underside of the biggest rock you can find for something that feels like a tiny volcano, pry it off the stone, go up for air, pry the flesh off the underside of the shell and pop into your mouth. yummy!

By: elaine

elaine — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:37:20 +0000

I can only imagine your mom’s vast collections…museum material, wouldn’t you think? :) I like abalones as well and never thought of its coverings to be this nice!