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Kangaroo Island Abalone

Smith Bay
Kangaroo Island
Phone: 8553 5322

Website: www.ausab.com.au

Abalone is a highly valued seafood delicacy often placed in the luxury category alongside truffles and the best caviar. But even though Australia is home to some of the highest quality abalone in the world, it’s not easy to buy. Unless, of course, you visit Kangaroo Island.

Penneshaw IGA Supermarket has the rare distinction of being the only shop in Australia selling Kangaroo Island Abalone’s award winning greenlip Emerald Star brand. And if you don’t feel like cooking it yourself, then visit Penneshaw’s Hog Bay Stores Cafe where abalone takes pride of place on the menu.

It’s a rare treat for visitors as just about all the 200 tonnes produced by Kangaroo Island Abalone (KIAB) goes overseas, mostly to Japan and Hong Kong. KIAB is a pioneer of abalone aquaculture and has one of the largest and most successful operations of its kind in Australia. The worldwide decline of wild abalone stocks and environmental pressures has seen a sharp increase in the demand for KIAB’s high quality farmed product grown in the pristine waters of Smith Bay off the island’s southern coast.

The quality of the farmed product is superb. With no energy expelled fighting for survival, farmed abalone grow flawlessly, although it’s a relatively slow process taking three to four years. KIAB hand selects succulent greenlip abalone for processing, and has developed a wide range of canning and vacuum-packed options, including innovative nitrogen freezing. This has led to the highly sought after Emerald Star brand, renowned for its flavour, high nutritional content and smooth texture.

In Asia abalone is considered to have special medicinal and aphrodisiac powers. We can’t vouch for that, but we do know that abalone is a must for any serious lover of seafood.

Parndana, the “Place of little gums”, is the hub for the heartland of Kangaroo Island. The Kangaroo Island Skills Centre at Kangaroo Island Community Educations Parndana Campus is a state of the art aquaculture training facility. Students have recently gained a grant to develop Aquaponics, using the facilities wastewater to grow herbs, lettuce, Asian greens and ornamental reed plants.

Numerous vineyards supply the Islands burgeoning wine industry, with Cape D’Estaing located near Emu Bay.

Green Lip Abalone, farmed at Smith Bay by KIAB, is now exported overseas and are at the cutting edge of the industry.