Posted by TDI_2 on June 12, 2002 at 09:50:00:
In Reply to: Abalone Legalities posted by seahunt on June 11, 2002 at 14:36:13:
There is no reason not to freeze them seahunt!
When you freeze them, they relax and go to sleep before they die. No rigor mortis.
When you freeze them in the shell, it preserves the "abalone taste".
Once they are rock hard frozen they will stay frozen with dry ice on your flight all the way home [unless your plane is skyjacked].
When frozen and thawed, they are easier to get out of the shells, you can do it with your hands alone, and dont need an ab iron to pry them out.
There are several good reasons to freeze them, and no good reason not to.
So, Day #1 at The Sea Ranch, pull your 3 abs, cook one, and freeze 2 right away. The best way to freeze them is to soak a thin kitchen towel in seawater, wrap the ab in it, and put that into a gallon sized freezer bag, and then all of it into the freezer in your kitchenette at your Sea Ranch suite.
Day #2, kiss your beautiful wife goodmorning and donate your two abs in the freezer to her, in writing, and wish her a happy abalone anniversary.
Then go out and pull 3 more abs. Freeze those the same way, right away, and eat leftovers from yesterday's ab still in the fridge.
Day #3, kiss your beautiful wife again and donate another ab to her, in writing. Now she has her 3 ab possession limit. Then go back in the ocean and find the biggest single ab that is out there. I have seen a bunch to 9 and 1/2 inches this year already at The Sea Ranch, but they are normally stuck way back in crags, and hard to get out.
After you pull that single last ab, freeze it as well, then go scuba diving or hiking the rest of your stay, while the last ab freezes solid too.
Things needed for the trip:
ab gear, as usual
6 kitchen towels
6 gallon sized freezer bags
thermal carrying bag.
You can get the dry ice on the way back to the airport.
Yours In Dive Safety Through Education,
[thats what NAUI professionals say]
TDI_2