Abalone Cioppino
Contributed by Helene Noreen.
Ingredients
- At least 3 medium to large abalones, pinks preferred
- Peanut oil (1/4 inch in bottom of deep pot)
- 1 split clove of garlic
- 1 large can of solid pack tomatoes, peeled
- 1 small can tomato sauce
- 3 stalks chopped celery
- 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 or 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1 small can mushroom stems and pieces (optional)
Method
- Trim off foot (part that attaches to rock) and edge surrounding.
- Slice and pound, then dice or run through coarse grinder (dice preferably). Save and use all juices.
- Cover bottom of deep pot with 1/4 inch peanut oil. Heat to smoking, add a split clove of garlic and as it browns drop in abalone and juices — it will foam up so stir constantly for 2 1/2 – 3 minutes (no more) and immediately add tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery and onion.
- Add salt and pepper and 2 or 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar. One small can mushroom stems and pieces may also be added.
- Bring to boil and simmer 1/2 hour.
Original page from the cookbook
About this recipe
This recipe is transcribed verbatim from a spiral-bound community cookbook produced in Pismo Beach, California. The book was a fundraising publication of the type common to civic groups, church auxiliaries, and fishing communities on the California coast in the mid-twentieth century — recipes contributed by named cooks, illustrated with hand-drawn section dividers, and printed locally.
Spellings, measurements, and ingredient lists are preserved as they appeared in print, including typographic quirks and any inconsistencies. Where an ingredient is used in the method but was missing from the printed ingredient block, it has been added to the list here so the recipe is self-contained; every such addition is taken word-for-word from the printed method.
The full yesteryear collection preserves 123 recipes from this book. The modern collection is open to new contributions from today's Pismo clammers.