Save me your ab trimmings (mantles)

Can I have the mantles off your abs?  My mom uses them to make a soup base.  You don't have to clean the black coating off, just put them into a little baggy and freeze. 

Thanks,
Nate

Is it an Italian thing?

I live in Martinez where the main population seems to have been Portugese and Italian in the early days, anyhow one of my relatives one time told me that the "old Italians" used to make a soup from the trimings.  I'm Italian myself but never found anyone around here who actually wanted the stuff.

Watch out freezing those trimmings outside the shell...

Watch out freezing those trimmings outside the shell...

That's one of those spirit of the law vs. letter of the law distinctions.  I know F&G is trying to protect the resource, but I still find it ironic that it's O.K to throw the mantles out but potentially not OK if a guy collects and keeps those same mantles.  

Dale,

It's a Chinese (Cantonese) soup thing.  My mom uses it with chicken and pork bones as well as dried scallops to make a soup.  


Thanks,
Nate

If you want to eat the mantles, it's easy to clean them.  Gut the abalone first.  Then take a dish brush, and just scrub the black colored stuff off.  It takes a little work, but it isn't very hard.  One easy way to scrub them is to put a large 3" nail through a cutting board and just impale the ab on the nail, then you don't have to worry about it slidding around.

Jus cut of the mantles at an angle.  I use the mantles for soup or appetizers.  I chop them into 2" pieces and then place them in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Take them out and put them in any sort of sauce you want, and you have an easy appetizer while you are cooking the rest of your abalone.

I learned this from a crazy evangelical guy from Arkansas who was trying to preach to us.

Nate... so when are you going to invite me over to your mom's house for dinner?
My mouth is water just thinking about that soup.

I learned this from a crazy evangelical guy from Arkansas who was trying to preach to us.

Haha nice! 

Where do you live nate?  I just threw away like 3 Ab's worth over the weekend after the NCUWH Big Ab event.  I live in Santa Clara, and plan on going to the Bamboo Reef event in gerstel cove.  I can save them for ya.

Nate... so when are you going to invite me over to your mom's house for dinner?
My mouth is water just thinking about that soup.

I'll ask when she plans to make "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" again.  Check it out on wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_Jumps_Over_the_Wall

After the soup, she braises the abs with shitake mushrooms. 

Where do you live nate?  I just threw away like 3 Ab's worth over the weekend after the NCUWH Big Ab event.  I live in Santa Clara, and plan on going to the Bamboo Reef event in gerstel cove.  I can save them for ya.

Thanks Chaeki,

I PM'd you.

Nate