Jade Tiger Live Abalone
Exclusive to Browne Trading in the U.S.A – Live Abalone from Australia.
Long considered a delicacy, and in many cultures, a symbol of prestige and wealth, abalone harvested in the U.S. and the world have sadly met major challenges over the past several decades. While demand remains high in nations throughout China, Southeast Asia, the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates, overfishing, disease and loss of natural habitat have all contributed to the endangerment of this large mollusk in the wild.
In 2001, Great Southern Waters Ltd. (GSW) of Australia met the challenge of depleted natural abalone stocks by developing a sophisticated cultured abalone breeding program that crossed their native wild Greenlip and Blacklip species to produce the unique “Jade Tiger” Abalone. Today, GSW’s abalone aquaculture facility produces over 160 tons of live and frozen premium abalone which ships all over the world. Jade Tiger is bred exclusively at GSW’s farm, which has received high International and Australian marks for its high quality, governmental compliance, sustainability and ecological focus.
Like most farm raised abalone, the Jade Tiger abalone is a hybrid species selectively bred for enhanced market characteristics such as accelerated growth in aquaculture, robust survivorship and immunity to disease, yield, and of course, the quality of their meat. It also has a distinctive “foot” and a beautiful blue-green shell coloration that has made it all the more desirous on the commercial market. Years of genetic research and a selective breeding program ultimately produced a healthy, genetically diverse stock (captive abalone require 3-4 years to grow to market size) and in 2007 Jade Tiger was introduced with great success to the global market.
Located near the city of Melbourne at Port Phillip Bay on Australia’s southern coast, the Great Southern Waters facility is now the foremost abalone farm in the country. Land based and biosecure, it draws in nearby ocean water via pumps into their facility that includes a fully contained system of hatcheries, nurseries, and 400 “growout” slab tanks where the abalone mature. Here they are constantly monitored throughout their life cycle until time of harvest where they are selected and graded. The farm itself is of “flow through” design whereby water runs over the growing abalone in a wave system and the return water flows by gravity into settlement ponds where aquatic plants strip out any organic wastes. Completing the process, onsite packing, freezing and shipping facilities store frozen products and move the live products direct to the Melbourne Airport where they are packed with great care and delivered from farm to plate anywhere in the world within 24 hours.
The meat of the abalone is actually the “foot” – it should be shucked and cut fresh from the shell and trimmed of fringe. Abalone is usually sliced thinly and served either raw or lightly floured and quickly sautéed (over cooking toughens it quickly). Many lightly pound abalone meat to tenderize it in advance of cooking.
Jade Tiger Abalone ships live and are approximately 4-5 pieces per pound; a 3 pound minimum order is required. Available upon request, please contact sales@brownetrading.com
“It was a pleasure to finally meet Rod (Mitchell) in person down in Australia, after extensive questioning and sample shipping trials to make sure that we could meet Rod’s expectations on the freshness and quality assurance of our abalone for distribution by Browne Trading. Rod was quite determined to check every detail from taste to texture including that our Jade Tiger Abalone was sustainably farmed. GSW and Browne Trading now have a well established just-in-time delivery arrangement for live Australian farmed abalone across the United States. Now when I visit Rod and Browne Trading, we are like old mates and share our passion of enjoying the experience of abalone in great restaurants with a little wine.”
~ Anton Krsinich, CEO of Great Southern Waters