What Does "How Many Heads" Mean for Abalone? A Detailed Explanation of the Meaning of Head Count
Abalone is a single-shelled mollusk with only half a shell; the shell is hard, thick, flat and wide. It is a traditionally precious ingredient in China, ranking first among the four great seafood delicacies. To this day, abalone has often appeared on the menu at many state banquets and large banquets held at the Great Hall of the People, becoming one of China's classic state banquet dishes. Now let's take a look at what "how many heads" means for abalone!
What does "how many heads" mean for abalone?
"How many heads" for abalone refers to how many abalone there are per unit of weight. The grade of abalone is counted by heads: per catty (commonly known as the Hong Kong scale, about 605 grams) there may be 2 heads, 3 heads, 5 heads, 10 heads, 20 heads, and so on. The fewer the heads, the more expensive the price, hence the saying "money can hardly buy two-head abalone." At present, net abalone has the fewest heads, Ji Pin abalone ranks second, and He Ma abalone is the smallest in size and has the most heads, already like a rare antique treasure.
How to choose abalone
1. Look: From the appearance, the abalone shell should be bright in color with no parasites attached, and the flesh should be rice-yellow or light brown, oval in shape, unbroken, and even in size. Abalone like this is relatively good.
2. Pinch: Use your hands to pinch the flesh. Good abalone flesh is thick, plump, soft and elastic. A live abalone will contract as soon as it is touched, while those stiff abalone are dead and should not be eaten.
A complete collection of abalone recipes
1. Braised abalone
[Ingredients] 200 grams dried purple abalone, 250 grams old hen meat, 25 grams cleaned ham, 10 grams dried scallops, 100 grams shark fin broth, 10 grams dried scallop broth. 7.5 grams white sugar, 5 grams refined salt, a little soy sauce, cooking wine, starch, and chicken oil.
[Method] ① Soak the dried purple abalone in water until ready, add chicken meat, ham, and dried scallops, simmer over heat for 3 hours, then take out the abalone and strain the original broth for later use. ② Score the abalone with a crisscross pattern, then slice it diagonally into pieces half a centimeter thick. ③ Put 100 grams of the original broth from simmering the abalone, together with the shark fin broth and dried scallop broth, into a double-eared pot. After it boils, add the abalone slices, boil for 10 minutes, add white sugar, refined salt, soy sauce, cooking wine and other seasonings, thicken with starch into a rich sauce, and add a little chicken oil before removing from the pot.
2. Steamed fresh abalone
[Ingredients] 8 abalone, 2 millet peppers, 1 small bunch celery, 20 milliliters light soy sauce, 10 milliliters cooking oil.
[Method] ① Choose fresh live abalone, take out the abalone flesh, and clean it thoroughly. Score the abalone flesh; larger abalone can be sliced into pieces. ② Wash the millet peppers and celery, cut them into small bits, add light soy sauce and cooking oil, mix well to make a sauce, and evenly add the sauce to the abalone. ③ Bring water to a boil, add the abalone, steam over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and take them out. ④ When serving guests, the steamed abalone can be placed on small plates and served individually.
3. Steamed abalone with garlic
[Ingredients] 6 abalone, 1 head garlic, half a red pepper, 2 scallions, 10 milliliters cooking wine, 10 milliliters light soy sauce, a little chicken essence, an appropriate amount of vegetable oil.
[Method] ① Use a knife to cut the abalone flesh away along the edge of the abalone shell, remove the black sand sac inside, then scrub the inside and outside of the abalone shell clean. ② Rinse the abalone flesh, use a knife to score a crisscross pattern on the surface of the abalone flesh, then place the abalone flesh back into the shell. ③ Chop the red pepper and scallions and set aside. Mince the garlic, take half of the minced garlic and fry it in oil heated to 50 percent hot over low heat until slightly yellow, then remove. ④ Mix the remaining minced garlic with the fried garlic, add cooking wine, light soy sauce, chicken essence and a small spoon of oil, and mix to make garlic sauce. ⑤ Arrange the abalone on a plate, put the prepared garlic sauce on top, steam in a pot after the water boils for 5 minutes, then take out, sprinkle with chopped red pepper and scallions, and drizzle with hot oil.
4. Abalone in scallion oil
[Ingredients] abalone, cooking wine, white vinegar, lemon juice, ginger and garlic, steamed fish soy sauce.
[Method] ① Scrub the bought abalone clean front and back with a brush, and rinse under running water. Use scissors to dig out the large black mud-like part in the middle. ② Score with a crisscross pattern, drizzle with a little cooking wine and a few drops of white vinegar or lemon juice; if you do not have them, you can omit them. Then sprinkle with minced ginger and minced garlic, and drizzle with a spoon of steamed fish soy sauce. ③ After the water boils, put it in the pot and steam over high heat for 3 minutes. Take it out, sprinkle with chopped scallions, and drizzle with sizzling oil.