Abalone (鮑魚 baau yu) is a large sea snail whose single muscular foot, braised slowly, becomes dense, tender and glossy, soaking up a rich oyster or abalone sauce. In Cantonese cooking it is the definitive banquet luxury, served dried or fresh, and its name sounds like a wish for abundance. Neptune Palace serves braised Australian abalone on its deluxe set menus, on every wedding menu, and on the Vancouver menu.
What is abalone?
Abalone is a mollusc that clings to rocks in cold, clean coastal water and grazes on seaweed. What you eat is the foot, a round, firm muscle under a single ear-shaped shell lined with mother-of-pearl. Wild abalone grows slowly, and many countries strictly limit the harvest. Here in British Columbia, the native northern abalone has been protected since all harvesting, commercial and recreational, was closed in 1990, so the abalone served in Vancouver restaurants is imported or farmed.
Among the most respected sources today are Australia, South Africa, Japan, Mexico and China, along with a growing number of farms.
Dried or fresh: what is the difference?
Cantonese cooking uses abalone in three main forms, and they behave almost like different ingredients.
- Dried abalone (乾鮑) is the most prized. The abalone is cooked, salted and sun-dried, then aged, which concentrates its flavour. Before serving, it is soaked for days and braised slowly in a rich stock until it turns soft yet springy, with a faint sticky centre that connoisseurs call 溏心, a "molten heart". Dried abalone is graded by 頭 (tau), the number of pieces per catty: a ten-head abalone is much larger, and much costlier, than a thirty-head one.
- Fresh or live abalone (鮮鮑) is sweeter and cleaner in flavour, with a firm, pleasantly springy texture. It cooks quickly and suits steaming, braising or gentle stir-frying.
- Canned abalone is pre-cooked and convenient, popular as a Lunar New Year gift.
On banquet and set menus, the most common choice is whole fresh abalone braised in a glossy sauce, which delivers much of the richness of the dried style with a more tender bite.
How do Cantonese chefs cook abalone?
The classic method is braising (扣 or 燜). The abalone simmers in a stock built from ingredients such as chicken, pork and ham, then is finished with a thick, glossy oyster or abalone sauce. The result should be tender enough to cut easily with a knife and fork, never rubbery.
Abalone is often paired with other luxurious textures. Goose web (鵝掌), braised until soft and gelatinous, is a traditional partner; sea cucumber, mushrooms and greens are others. Abalone sauce itself, the deeply savoury braising liquid, is used across the menu to enrich simpler dishes.
To eat braised whole abalone, use a knife and fork or chopsticks to cut it into slices, and take a little sauce with each piece.
Why is abalone a banquet dish?
Abalone heads the short list of classic dried-seafood luxuries, alongside sea cucumber and fish maw, that signal a host's generosity. Serving a whole abalone to each guest is a clear way of saying the occasion matters.
The name helps too. In Cantonese, 鮑魚 sounds like 包餘, roughly "assured surplus", so abalone is a favourite at weddings, Lunar New Year dinners and birthday banquets, where a wish for lasting abundance is the point. Wedding menus often give it a playful name: one of ours calls it 鮑羅萬有, a pun on the phrase for "all-encompassing".
Abalone at Neptune Palace
Braised Australian abalone appears across our menus:
- Vancouver menu: Braised Australian Abalone with Goose Web (澳洲鮑魚扣鵝掌, 1903, per person), Braised Whole Abalone & Treasures for four (鮑魚全家寶), and Abalone & Seafood with Crispy Rice in Broth.
- Set for Four — Deluxe ($588) and Set for Six — Deluxe ($788): Whole Braised Australian Abalone, one per guest. Both locations.
- All four wedding menus, ten abalone per table; the Auspicious Blessings menu features Australian greenlip abalone. Both locations.
- Dim sum: Bean Curd Rolls with Pork & Mushroom in Abalone Sauce (107).
Set prices are as printed in June 2026, before tax and gratuity. For a banquet or a special order, call Vancouver at (604) 423-3386 or Burnaby at (604) 566-0897.
Questions, answered
Why is abalone so expensive?
Wild abalone grows slowly and is tightly regulated in many countries, and premium dried abalone also takes long, skilled processing. Large dried pieces from well-known origins command the highest prices.
What is the difference between dried and fresh abalone?
Fresh abalone is firm and sweet with a clean ocean flavour, and cooks quickly. Dried abalone is soaked and braised for days, becoming dense, chewy-soft and deeply savoury, with a richer, more concentrated taste.
What does abalone symbolise at a Chinese banquet?
In Cantonese, 鮑魚 sounds like 包餘, roughly "assured abundance", so it is a natural dish for weddings and Lunar New Year. It is also one of the luxury ingredients that show a host's generosity.
Where can I eat abalone in Vancouver at Neptune Palace?
Braised Australian abalone appears on the Deluxe set menus for four and six, on all four wedding menus at both locations, and as Braised Australian Abalone with Goose Web on the Vancouver menu.