Abalone at Alba
An evening of seafood decadence, featuring wild-caught sustainable Australian seafood, matched with premium wines and industry knowledge is set to descend on Alba by Kuruvita at Noosa Heads. Penny Brand dives in to find out more.
Long considered a delicacy for its extremely rich, flavourful and highly-prized meat, abalone is a superfood unto its own. It is considered amongst the world’s most expensive seafood and is illegal to harvest without a licence.
Thanks to a new initiative from Abalone Association of New South Wales, (AANSW) wild-caught abalone, carefully harvested by experienced divers from the cool clean waters of southern Australia, is set to be more accessible than ever.
The Australian Wild Abalone Program will literally be putting these delicacies on the plates of Noosa locals when they will be the star attraction for a very special event cooked up by self-confessed abalone lover Peter Kuruvita.
The internationally-renowned chef, restaurateur, television presenter and author has created a mouthwatering menu featuring abalone, sea urchins and Mooloolaba prawns as part of a four-course feast with matching wines.
To add extra flavour to the evening, Twin Waters’ own second-generation abalone diver and Executive Officer of AANSW, Greg Ryzy will be joined by fellow diver and sea urchin specialist Greg Finn for what promises to be an indulgent, entertaining and informative evening to remember.
Both are expert divers braving the cold, pristine waters to hand select the finest abalone using age-old techniques that ensure the future viability of the species and the marine ecosystem.
According to Greg Ryzy, a lot of dedication and hard work goes into catching one large abalone and the Abalone Association has worked hard to ensure the sustainability of the species.
“Our expert divers catch with care to ensure the future viability of the abalone,” he said. “Thanks to years of sustainable practices, there are now abundant supplies of this highly-prized delicacy and our goal is to keep it on our shores and make it more accessible to Australian diners.
“Sea urchins on the other hand, are a destructive pest that wipes out kelp beds, destroying our precious marine ecosystems. We are committed to clearing the waters of sea urchins, of which the roe is considered a delicacy.”
Abalone is extremely rich, flavourful, and a highly prized meat that is considered a culinary delicacy. It is also considered a superfood with low-fat content, almost no cholesterol, and is high in protein and has a combination of essential vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and beta carotene.
Sea urchin roe is high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants; rich in protein, dietary fibre, minerals, such as zinc; and Beta Carotene, which it gets from its kelp diet. It also has few calories and is high in Vitamins C and A, which are usually found in dark leafy greens.
The only thing we love more than seafood is sustainable seafood – and a seafood feast created by a team that knows how to bring world-class ingredients to life!
Peter Kuruvita said he was excited to have the opportunity to use and showcase these ingredients and has been featuring abalone and urchin specials at his Alba by Kuruvita restaurant for the past few weeks with rave reviews.
“We’re pleased to present these beautiful creatures and encourage people to try them so that they will become more readily available at reasonable prices,” he said. “It’s a really exciting way to introduce people to new ingredients.”
Peter has created a bespoke Wild Catch Coming Home seafood experience, which will feature the delicacies perfectly paired with premium wines, for a sumptuous and informative evening.
For the event, abalone will be sliced paper thin and served with a lemon-pepper butter and snow pea tendrils.
“Abalone has a beautiful white flesh that is very delicate and needs to be handled very well,” Peter said.
“The flavour profile is very light and mild, not as strong as a scallop and as sweet as a prawn. The butter will complement the flavour and enable the true flavour to come through.”
Diners will enjoy the equivalent of a whole abalone, which would normally cost around $300; and will be beautifully prepared and presented in the abalone shell, which guests are encouraged to take home as a memento.
As for the sea urchin roe, Peter will be making chawanmushi, a Japanese-style savoury egg custard packed with umami and flavour.
“Sea urchin is creamy like scallop roe but milder in flavour,” he said.
“It’s rich and beautiful so you can make custard without having to use eggs. It’s slightly salty, full of flavour and so deliciously good for you.”
Mooloolaba Prawns served grilled and devilled with mouthwatering Masala sauce will add a local flavour.
Fresh local strawberries and cream with a muscat jelly and baked meringue will end the evening on a sweet note.
Alba Noosa’s Wild Catch Coming Home seafood experience is the perfect opportunity to try Australia’s exquisite seafood and find out more about these fascinating creatures and how they are harvested using age-old techniques by professional divers.
Don’t miss this sensational event.
DON’T MISS! WILD CATCH COMING HOME
This superb seafood experience will feature a cocktail on arrival, special guest speakers and a four-course set menu, paired with premium wines.
MENU
Chilled sea urchin chawanmushi, poached prawns, roasted nori
Alois Lageder Alto Adige Pinot Grigio 2020
Stir-fried black lip abalone, snow pea tendrils, lemon, parsley and black pepper butter
La Crema Monterey Chardonnay 2020
Grilled and devilled Mooloolaba prawns, masala sauce
AIX Provence Rose 2020
Noosa Strawberries and cream, Muscat jelly, baked meringue
Frogmore Creek Vintage Tasmania Sparkling 2019
*all dishes are gluten-free
Where: Alba by Kuruvita, 3 Alba Cl, Noosa Heads
When: Thursday 13 October, 6pm-10pm
Cost: $105 per person
Phone: 5211 1555
Web: albanoosa.com.au
Presented by IN Noosa Magazine and Abalone Association NSW
