Dried Abalone Exporter: Wild and Farmed Grades by Head Count

Product overview

Drying transforms abalone: the meat becomes dense and concentrated, and a deep savory character develops during the long soak and slow braise that Cantonese kitchens give it. Value depends heavily on species, origin and the skill of the drying house, so two lots in the same size grade can perform quite differently on the plate. We specify every offer by origin, wild or farmed status, head count and drying method, and we state where a lot needs export permits.

Size is expressed as head count (頭): the number of dried pieces that make up one catty. The Hong Kong catty is roughly 600 g (about 604.8 g by its traditional definition), and dealers apply the convention with some variation, so we always give the actual pieces per kilogram alongside the head figure. A lower count means larger pieces — a 10-head abalone is far bigger than a 40-head one — and the larger sizes are scarcer.

Wild lines come from origins such as Japan (Iwate and Aomori), Australia, Mexico and Oman, usually under strict quotas, while South Africa now supplies mainly farmed abalone and farms in China and Korea offer consistent volume in mid to high head counts. Processing is slow: shucking, cleaning, salting, boiling and staged sun-drying, often over several weeks, until the meat is firm to the core. Well-made pieces may develop a soft, glossy, slightly sticky center after correct soaking and braising, known in the trade as a candied or ‘tong sum’ heart; it is a valued trait, but it depends on species, drying and cooking, so we treat it as a characteristic rather than a guaranteed specification.

Before dispatch we check head count against weighed pieces, distinguish natural white surface bloom from mold, and look for cracks, insect damage and off-odors. Kitchens wanting abalone without the soaking stage can consider our frozen abalone, and our guide to storing dried abalone and fish maw covers stock rotation.