Abalone-How to store and how long to keep?

I have some friends coming to visit so I thought I'd ask the pros.
How do you store Abalone, and how long will it keep?
Rules say must be in shell until you consume .... How long can they stay fresh in shell with guts etc. ?
Also,
Can someone post a cleaned Abalone, I think I'm trimming too much off. I was told to just remove all the black, and about a 1/8-1/4 inch off the foot.
Thanks for any advice.
;0)

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It will last months. I like to fill my freezer bags with water so it doesn't get freezer burnt, also I like to use a brush similar to a nail brush to remove all the black stuff. I never trim mine.

Thanks Andy. I've been doing it mostly right.

Actually I do trim the mouth off.

I wouldn't advocate breaking the law, but is there some reason the your freezer would be checked to see if your ab were in the shell?

Anyway put them in a ziplock bag and freeze in water is easy.

You can dip them in water and put in the freezer until the water turns to ice and repeat a few times. The ice prevents freezer burn.

What you remove depends on how you clean your abalone. How you clean can also depend on whether the abalone is fresh or frozen. There are plenty of YouTube videos. I prefer tenderizing them whole. Removing the lips is optional.  Removing the bottom of the foot isn't, that part is tough. I cut out the mouth too.

I believe the rules just state that they must be in shell when transporting only. If you are at home you can freeze them anyway you want just don't drive with it! I always hated bringing abalone home since it never tasted as good as eating the day I get them. If I did freeze them it was cleaned, cut and lightly pounded in small vacuum sealed bags.

The rules state that they must be kept in the shell until being prepared for immediate consumption.  Stupid rule, but it is what it is.

My advice:  always eat it fresh - even a few days in the fridge potentially ruins it as it gets limp but will still be very tough when cooked.  If you have to freeze it I'd pound it first if I were you.

Good luck. 

 I froze a whole ab once......the green content of the gut sac leached through the membrane walls and dyed the foot green too.  I still ate it, but after that i clean and prep them for consumption before freezing.   The freezing tenderizes them in a way that cannot be duplicated with a mallet, running it over with a truck or resoling my boots with ab foot glued to the bottom and walking around on them for a month.  Freeze, massage before cooking and itll have the consistency of a clam, way better than fresh.

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I believe the rules just state that they must be in shell when transporting only. If you are at home you can freeze them anyway you want just don't drive with it! I always hated bringing abalone home since it never tasted as good as eating the day I get them. If I did freeze them it was cleaned, cut and lightly pounded in small vacuum sealed bags.

Guidance from DFW is that they must be in the shell even in your freezer til prepped for immediate consumption,

Again not to advocate anything against the regs but sliced, pounded and then frozen in plenty of whole milk instead of water is what seems to work the best. Then rinse off the milk as it's nasty after thawing. This method IMO comes as close to fresh as I've ever tasted.  It also makes the day of cooking prep a whole lot more relaxing,
 
Also know of a person who pissed off a warden enough that they showed up at his door to search his freezer.

Also know of a person who pissed off a warden enough that they showed up at his door to search his freezer.

^
A strict rule I follow is not to fish with that guy. 

Since I get abalone while trailer camping, I put a live ab into a zip-lock bag and freeze it solid. Once solid, I take it out and vacuum pack the whole ab. Never try to vacuum pack a fresh. live ab; you'll NEVER get the slime out of the vacuum packer.

When ready to eat one, take it out of the freezer and partly thaw it. It will pop out of the shell very easily. Clean the guts and head off and use a hose with a jet or hose gun nozzle and spray it. The black stuff will wash right off. Slice off the bottom 1/8" or less of the foot, pound and cook as usual. It will take less pounding, as the freezing bursts the cell membranes and slightly tenderizes the muscles.

Dan

I eat it fresh and frozen,frozen abs loose it's sweetness and the ocean smell is stonger.only thing I cut and discard is the mouth and guts,otherwise I eat the whole ab.the "black stuff" is very hard to clean off on a fresh ab.us a steel scrubbing sponge and scrub it,takes some elbow grease but it'll come off.when frozen it comes off with your finger nails.
Every year my last three I always freeze and save for the winter and I'll eat it over the course before the season opens again.some of my hard core ab eaters,they eat the guts also.they boil it then they chopp it up and Sautee it with herbs,everyone says it's good but I've never been able to get my chop sticks close to the bowl.they go"what it's just process seaweed"
Yeah I'll just stick to the meat.i use a sushi knife and do thin slices so I've never pounder and ab before

I used to clean trim and then freeze in water in a wax paper half gallon milk container. Works ok but I'm an advocate of eating it fresh. It's the best that way. If you slice pound and store in a gallon freezer bag it will last a week at 37 degrees.