Garlicky and aromatic, with chewy, tender abalone and a rich seafood flavor.
Steaming with garlic is a classic Cantonese technique, and truly one of a kind. Since Cantonese cuisine focuses heavily on seafood and freshwater catches, cooks discovered that steaming fresh seafood with minced garlic not only removes any unpleasant odors but also enhances the aroma, making the seafood even more delicious—so this method has been passed down through generations. The fresh fragrance of raw garlic and the nutty, toasted aroma of fried garlic complement each other perfectly, allowing you to enjoy two distinct garlic flavors in a single dish! When it comes to abalone, food lovers can rattle off countless varieties with ease, but in reality, a fresh abalone costing just five or six yuan each—topped with a drizzle of garlic oil and crispy fried garlic bits, steamed for a few minutes until tender, then lifted from the steamer with a puff of steam—popping one into your mouth is simply pure bliss, isn't it?
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
Fresh abalone to taste
Always use live abalone, buying and cooking it the same day, to ensure the best texture and aroma.
Seasonings
Garlic and black pepper, to taste
Salt to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Use a small knife to cut through the muscle at the base of the abalone, remove the sand sac and intestines, and rinse clean (Image 2). Then, gently score the surface of the abalone in a crosshatch pattern (Image 3), cutting to a depth of about one-third of the meat's thickness, and arrange on a plate for later use (Image 4).
If you find using a small knife too dangerous, you can also use a thin spoon to slide directly underneath and separate the abalone from its shell.
Scoring the surface of the abalone with a crisscross pattern ensures even cooking throughout during steaming and allows the flavors to penetrate more easily.
Make the garlic sauce
② Finely mince the garlic, place half in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and black pepper, then pour in oil heated to about 80% hot (just starting to smoke), and stir quickly to combine (Image 5).
*Although salt is the only main seasoning, you don't need to use much. Abalone is a seafood product and naturally has a slight saltiness, so just a pinch of salt is enough to season it perfectly.
*The raw minced garlic must be drizzled with hot oil to remove its raw pungency and release its aroma; it's best to add the oil in several batches while stirring continuously.
*The amount of oil should not be too much, just enough to cover the minced garlic; you can also add a little sugar to enhance the freshness, but not enough to taste sweet.
*Adding white pepper helps eliminate the fishy smell of seafood—feel free to use a bit more, or substitute with ground white pepper if preferred.
③ Slowly fry the remaining half of the minced garlic in oil heated to about 50% hot over low heat until golden brown, then remove and stir into the garlic sauce bowl from the previous step (Figures 6 and 7).
*When frying the garlic, the oil temperature must not be too high; use low heat and fry slowly, removing the minced garlic as soon as it turns light yellow, as frying any longer will burn it.
Steam the abalone
Using a spoon, drizzle the prepared garlic sauce (both the oil and garlic bits) evenly over each abalone (Image 8). Once the steamer water is boiling and producing steam, place the abalones inside, cover with the lid, and steam over high heat for 3 minutes.
*Make sure the steamer water is boiling and producing steam before adding the abalone, then steam vigorously over high heat without lifting the lid during the process.
For best results, feel free to adapt this technique with other fresh seafood like scallops or shrimp.
Many ingredients can be steamed with garlic, but seafood and freshwater delicacies are the most common choices, such as fresh shrimp in their shells, whole fish, lobster, and eel—tender ingredients that pair perfectly with this method. The classic dish "Garlic Butterflied Shrimp" involves splitting the back of shell-on shrimp with a knife, stuffing them with garlic sauce, and steaming them until cooked.
A lazy cook's trick
If you find frying the garlic troublesome, you can skip it and simply pour hot oil over the minced garlic instead. Also, you can add a small amount of soaked vermicelli noodles while steaming—they absorb the flavorful juices and become wonderfully chewy and silky.