Sauce-steamed Abalone Recipe

Clean and prepare abalone

Rinse the abalone under cold running water. Use a small spoon or abalone knife to gently separate the muscle from the shell. Remove the viscera (dark guts) and trim away any tough edges or black frill. Keep the liver/roe only if desired.

Soak and tenderize

Place cleaned abalone in a bowl with 4 cups cold water and 1 tsp sea salt. Add sliced ginger and bruised scallion stalks. Soak for 15–20 minutes to draw out sand and mild fishiness, changing water once if very sandy. After soaking, gently scrub the abalone flesh and rinse again.

Score and slice

Pat abalone dry. For medium abalone, lay each on a cutting board and make shallow crosshatch scores on the meat (do not cut through). Optionally slice each abalone into 4–6 thin slices while keeping the base intact, which helps it steam evenly and tenderize quickly.

Combine sauce ingredients

In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tbs light soy sauce, 1.5 tbs oyster sauce, 1 tbs Shaoxing wine, 0.5 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 cup chicken stock (or water), 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and 1/4 tsp white pepper until sugar dissolves.

Make slurry

In a separate small cup, stir 1 tsp cornstarch into 1 tbs cold water to make a smooth slurry. Keep ready.

Heat and finish sauce (optional)

Pour the combined sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir once, then slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for 30–60 seconds until the sauce slightly thickens and becomes glossy. Remove from heat and keep warm. (If you prefer to steam the abalone in raw sauce, you can skip pre-heating; see steaming step.)

Prepare aromatics

Thinly julienne 1 tsp ginger and separate the scallion into white and green parts, slicing both thinly. Prepare cilantro sprigs if using.

Flash the aromatics (optional)

Heat 1 tsp neutral oil in a small ladle or spoon until very hot but not smoking. Carefully pour the hot oil over the ginger and scallion whites in a heatproof small bowl to release aroma. This step is optional but adds fragrance to the finished dish.

Arrange abalone for steaming

Place each prepared abalone (either whole with crosshatch or thinly sliced on the base) in a shallow heatproof dish that fits inside your steamer. Spoon about 1–1.5 tbs of the prepared signature sauce over each abalone (if you pre-heated the sauce, warm spooning is fine; if raw, it will cook while steaming). Scatter a few ginger julienne pieces and a little of the scallion white on each abalone.

Steam

Bring water in a wok or steamer to a rolling boil. Place the dish(s) into the steamer, cover, and steam over high heat: medium-small whole abalone (or thinly sliced) should steam 4–6 minutes; larger or thicker abalone may need 6–8 minutes. Do not over-steam — abalone becomes tough if cooked too long. Check for a slightly springy, opaque texture.

Finish and garnish

Carefully remove the dish from the steamer. Spoon any accumulated sauce from the dish over the abalone. If you did the hot-aromatic step, pour the hot oil and aromatics over the abalone now to bloom the scent. Garnish with scallion greens and cilantro sprigs. For a glossy finish, you can drizzle a few drops more sesame oil or a teaspoon of the warmed sauce.