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Pāua fritters

New Zealand minced abalone fritters

Pāua, the New Zealand black-footed abalone with its rainbow shell, is gathered by divers on the rocky coasts of Kaikōura, the Chatham Islands and Stewart Island, and minced into rich, savoury fritters that are a Kiwi beach-bach favourite. Only take or buy pāua within the legal limits, and buy from a licensed seller. The meat must be cleaned and tenderised before mincing. A common mistake is overcooking the fritters, which turns the pāua tough; they need just a couple of minutes a side. Chef's tip: mince the meat finely, the old way was through a hand mincer, so the fritters are tender.
Total time
25 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
4
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Ingredients

Serves4

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (5)

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Method

0/4 done
  1. Step 1: Wrap the 14 oz cleaned pāua (abalone) meat in a clean cloth and pound it firmly with a meat mallet for a minute to tenderise. Mince finely in a food processor or chop very finely.

    8 min
  2. Step 2: Whisk 2 eggs, 2 ⅛ oz self-raising flour, 3 tbsp milk, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper into a thick batter, then stir in the pāua and ½ onion.

    3 min
  3. Step 3: Heat 1 oz butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry heaped tablespoons for 1½–2 minutes a side, until golden and set all the way through.

    8 min
  4. Step 4: Serve hot with 1 lemon, on buttered bread if you like.

    1 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
290 kcal
Protein
22 g
Carbs
18 g
Fat
14 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does pāua fritters take?
About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
What can I use instead of eggs?
1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
What can I use instead of self-raising flour?
Plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder per 150g (1 cup).

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