Abalone Salad

Photo: flickr user Evil Julia

Ingredients

2 smalls head red leaf lettuce

1 arugula

1 small head radicchio

12 Fresh shiitake mushrooms

24 Chinese pea pods

4 Fresh medium abalone

2 Limes, juiced

1 inch fresh gingerroot

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon Rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Dark soy sauce

4 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, pepper

Lime or lemon wedges

Preparation

Gingerroot should be peeled and grated. Rinse and dry lettuce, arugula and radicchio. Discard mushroom stems and slice tops in thin vertical slices. Rinse and dry peas. Remove abalone from shells, using handle of heavy spoon to break muscle attachments. Reserve shells. Clean abalone well, discarding undesirable parts. Clean shells thoroughly, dry and set aside. Using meat slicer, slice abalone muscle crosswise into tissue-thin pieces. If abalone can't be sliced tissue-thin, slice thin as possible and pound each slice on flat surface with mallet or flat end of cleaver until tender and almost transparent but not shredded. Combine juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon grated ginger and grind or two of fresh pepper in bowl. Add abalone slices and toss to coat well. Marinate 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine remaining lime juice, remaining ginger, vinegar, soy sauce and 3 tablespoons olive oil in small bowl. Tear lettuce, arugula and radicchio into coarse pieces and place in large bowl. Toss with dressing oil. Arrange greens in abalone shells or on serving plates. Set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet or saute pan, add mushrooms and peas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir-fry briefly, just until peas turn bright green. Remove from heat