Pan-Fried Abalone Recipe with Soy Glaze

Pan-fried Abalone recipe with sweet soy glaze is my simplified take on the classic Korean dish Jeonbokcho that came from the royal cuisine. Tender but slightly chewy, flavorful sauce but not overpowering the delicate flavors of the abalone, this truly is a luxurious appetizer dish fit for special celebrations, holidays or your most honored guests.

Abalone or Jeonbok (전복) is something that I always try to have when I go back to Korea because the Korean one is somehow different from those that you get in the US. Not to mention, buying fresh American abalone in the US is almost impossible.

I can’t say I’ve had Abalone in the US that many times but every time I order it from a restaurant, I find that it has little flavor and is just too soft for my taste. I like them chewy.

I have seen live, imported Korean Jeonbok at Korean markets but they are usually so expensive I never bought them. And thus, I never tried to even cook with them here in the US. This was my first attempt at making something different than Jeonbok juk and Heo and it turned out so well, I decided I had to share the recipe!

FYI, WooltariUSA recenlty sent me some frozen Korean abalone from Wando 완도 – an island in Korea famous for their jeonbok – for me to try. Thank you Wooltari! BTW, wooltariUSA is an online Korean store that sells many premium Korean goods directly imported from Korea. (I recently did a giveaway on my IG – of Korean grown Gochugaru, Sesame Oil and Gochujang).

But before we go on, some quick basic info about this lovely yummy seafood.

What is Abalone?

They are actually not a shellfish but are very large marine snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae. It also goes by ear shells, sea ears, and muttonfish or muttonshells in Australia, ormer in the UK, perlemoen in South Africa, and paua in New Zealand. (source Wikipedia)

There are over 50 species worldwide and is considered a delicacy in many cultures.

How do you eat Abalone?

My favorite way to eat abalone is to eat them sashimi style as Jeonbok Hoe 전복회 with a little Cho Gochujang sauce. But do this only if the it is still alive when you get it.

How to cook them

If it’s been frozen or is dead then it is best to cook them. You can steam, grill or pan-fry them like I’m doing here. You can also make Jeonbok Juk (porridge) with it which is my 2nd favorite way to enjoy this fabulous seafood. I hope to share a recipe soon.

What does it taste like?

As it is a type of a snail, abalone has a wonderfully silky texture but slightly chewy texture as an escargot but can become quite tough if cooked incorrectly. When eaten raw, it has a crunchy texture in the center which makes it extra fun to eat. Flavor-wise, it is quite mild, subtly sweet, buttery and has a very mild fresh ocean flavor, not at all fishy – basically somewhat similar to scallops.

Types of Korean abalone

There are mostly 6 different kinds of this wonderful seafood in Korea. But the most common and popular ones are 참전복 Cham Jeonbok (Haliotis discus hannai), 까막전복 Kkamak Jeonbok (Haliotis discus), 말전복 Mal Jeonbok (H. gigantea) and 왕전복 Wang Jeonbok (H.madaka). The one I have is Cham Jeonbok.

Mother of Pearl? Mother of JinJoo? 😝

The shells are also highly valued as it’s used in making mother of pearl jewelry (nacre). Called Jagae 자개 Lacquerware in Korean. Koreans have used these to decorate wood furniture and other products as an inlay for thousands of years. History records Nacre-inlaid lacquerware peaked during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) and has since been a big part of Korean culture.

I remember when I was little, almost every home had some piece of Jagae whether it was on a table, dresser, jewelry box or even as a faux Jagae table with foldable metal legs. This reminds me of something.. about my name.

Because JinJoo 眞珠 means pearl in Korean and my mom told me that when I was born and my grandpa saw me, he decided to name me JinJoo because my face was as round as a pearl.. hahaha..Well, I actually hated this story growing up because I was so self-conscious of my big round face. But I always did love the name. Made me feel special and like a treasure. ❤️ I still don’t like my big round face but nothing much I can do about that..😝

Let’s get cooking, shall we?

Servings: 3

Cook Time: 20 min

Difficulty: Easy

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Pre-cooking Abalone
   1. Clean abalone by lightly brushing the top and sides with a soft brush but still leave it intact and attached to the shell. Remove most of the black grime but no need to remove all. WATCH VIDEO to see how I clean.
   2. Steam abalone (still attached to shell) for 10 min or until a metal skewer or chopstick goes in easily. No need to cook all the way. *Steaming it while still attached to the shell is the trick to making it tender
   3. When cooked, take it out of the steamer and let it cool for a few minutes so you can handle it. Keep them covered while you cool it so it doesn’t get too dry.
   4. Once cooled, remove from the shell and remove the mouth/beak and intestines. WATCH VIDEO. These intestines are a delicacy btw (like the tomalley of a lobster) and it’s what makes jeonbok juk green. So save it and try it.
   5. Score the jeonbok by slicing just the top part of it in a grid pattern. This is so the sauce will get absorbed into the meat. Cover and set aside.
2. Make Sauce
   1. Slice a piece of fresh ginger – 1/8th thick slice.
   2. In a small sauce pot – mix soy sauce, sugar, water, piece of fresh ginger. Bring to boil and then simmer for 5 min or so until sauce is reduced.
   3. To the reduced sauce, add maple syrup, rice wine and guk ganjang (korean soup soy sauce) and simmer again for another 3-5 min till it becomes thick and syrupy like above.
3. Skewer abalones so you can cook them evenly and easily (you don’t have to). Coat them with sauce. Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and cook the jeonbok just couple minutes on each side until it is nicely browned. Because it’s already steamed, you just need to put a nice sear on these. Press them down with a spatula as they cook so they get evenly browned not just the edges. Brush some more sauce as needed as you cook them.
4. Here’s a cross-section to show you how it looks when done! Garnish with some chopped pine nuts for extra rich flavor.

And there you go! I hope you enjoy this luxurious appetizer as much as we did. My husband was soo happy with this recipe that he asked me to take this picture (don’t ask me why he is looking away.. he had a reason but I forgot) of him to share on FB – also to show how much he has to suffer.. lol.. by having to wait sooo long until I was done with taking photos and videos..hahaha. I do appreciate his patience though. ❤️Bon Appetit!

Watch Video to see how I clean, score and pan-fry to make the perfect abalone recipe!