My trip started with checking out the camp ground, getting settled in and taking in the beautiful scenery while trying to watch the abalone divers and now it’s time for the abalone feast. If you haven’t seen Part I of my camping trip to the mendocino coast click here.  If you are not up for seeing abalone and fish being cleaned beware some of the pictures may be to graphic for you!!! 🙂

Abalone is a sea snail and they attach themselves to rocks along the coast. Sport harvesting of red abalone along the Mendocino coast is permitted with a fishing license and an abalone stamp card. You can only free dive and shore pick for abalone and there is a limit to how many per day along with a limit in size that you may harvest. Abalone is very slow growing. According to Mendocino abalone watch tagging studies have indicated growth of 7inches over 12 years!!  Each abalone has to be marked and tagged for it’s legal size. It is definitely not easy harvesting these sea snails. The divers dive approximately 10-15 feet down as they hold their breath. They usually find the larger size abalone on the underside of the rock. They literally sneak up on the abalone and very quickly pry it off the rock with an abalone knife. Sneaking up and prying quickly is necessary as the abalone will suck themselves harder to rock which makes it difficult to pry them loose. They do this all while holding their breath!!!

My brother-in-law, Jeff  (pictured below) has been diving for many years and I consider him an expert! He also loves to spear fish as well….To clean the abalone you remove the meat from its shell. The shells also can be used as decor around the house (you should see my sisters yard full of these! 🙂 or I have seem beautiful jewelry made out of the shell as well. Cleaning some fish for the feast too… To prepare abalone for consuming you must slice the meat thinly and then pound it out… Yes you have to wear a garbage because the stuff goes flying everywhere while pounding I learned this the hard way one year! Jeff speared a beautiful fish and it was soooo good. There is nothing like fresh fish!! They also caught some uni (sea urchin!)  I didn’t try I was too nervous. Fresh California veggies being sauteed. Yummy!!!

The abalone is then dunked in egg wash, breaded….…and then fried. It doesn’t take long cook. It is so good!! Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water!! The campgrounds are dog friendly too!! ahhh enjoying the campfire!! It was an amazing trip and I can’t wait for next year!!