Abalone Almondine

I remember many years ago enjoying fresh abalone steaks in Southern California along the coastline. The abalone is now on the endangered species list and consequently can't be legally harvested from the ocean. There are a few seafood farms, however, which still sell abalone steaks on line. They're outrageously expensive, but I recently purchased a few and prepared them this way. They were wonderful and brought back lots of happy memories. I think my recipe is the first on Zaar for fresh abalone. This recipe truly makes a fine gourmet main dish. Serve with buttered angel hair pasta and fresh vegetables. Break out your very best bottle of white wine and enjoy.

• Ready In: 16 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  abalone steaks
• 1  cup milk
• 1⁄2 cup flour
•  salt and pepper
• 1⁄2 cup cornmeal
• 3⁄4 cup butter
• 1  lemon, juice of
• 1⁄4 cup  finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1⁄2 cup  slivered almonds

Directions

1. Pour milk into a large shallow bowl.
2. In another shallow bowl, combine flour seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper and corn meal.
3. Melt 1/2 cup butter over moderate heat in a heavy 12 to 14 inch skillet.
4. While the butter is melting, dip each abalone steak first into the milk, then the flour mixture, so that each piece is well coated.
5. When the butter in the skillet has stopped foaming, quickly saute each steak on each side no more than 15 to 20 seconds per side.
6. IMPORTANT: Overcooking will cause the abalone to be tough and you will have wasted lots of money!
7. As each steak is sauteed, remove from the skillet and place on a warm platte.
8. When all the steaks are sauteed, sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley.
9. Place platter in a warm oven.
10. In a heavy skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter and saute the almonds over moderate heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until they are golden brown, stirring constantly.
11. Remove the platter from the oven, pour the almonds and butter over the abalone steaks and serve at once.