Abalone for Tea

“So it’s abalone for tea tomorrow night, guys,” Rob says.

We had just finished catching two bluefin tuna and he was already planning tomorrow night’s dinner. Now THAT’S forward-thinking.

It all started about a year ago when word got out that I was coming to Tasmania. My friends, the artist Sylvia Ridgway and UPEI’s Assistant Registrar Darcy McCardle, told me that I HAD to meet Michaye Boulter – Sylvia’s niece and Darcy’s cousin who lived in Tasmania. Sylvia told me that Michaye had sailed with her mom and dad and sister Jeanette from our part of the world down to Tassie when she was just a child. Sylvia’s brother Charlie – Michaye’s dad - had been a fisherman and boat-builder, and he and his wife Irene obviously had adventure in their blood. Sylvia and her husband Bill had been to visit Michaye at their house on Bruny Island, and Michaye and family had been to Prince Edward Island. Plus she was an artist (like her aunt!), and her husband Rob Pennicott owned the award-winning Bruny Island Adventure Cruises.

So just before Christmas, I found out that Michaye had an exhibition at the Handmark Gallery in Hobart. I popped in to introduce myself. She was due in any moment, so I hung around looking at her paintings that transformed the walls: amazing water and sky and rocky island outcrops in these stunning blues and whites and ochres - and I just KNEW she had to be one of the artists I would interview. 

When we met it felt like we’d been friends forever. She said my Canadian accent made her feel like home. I almost cried (remember: I was THAT homesick!). She immediately agreed to my interview request, and I told her I’d carry her love and hugs home to PEI for Christmas.

So a few weeks ago I interviewed her in her new Salamanca Place studio. It was just as fantastic as our first meeting. When I was leaving, she said, “We’ll have to get you over to Bruny Island for a visit.” And that is how I ended up, just after Easter, on a boat in the Great Southern Ocean with the prospect of tuna for dinner that night, and abalone the next.

We headed out on one of Rob’s yellow power boats mid-afternoon Thursday.  With us were his sister and brother-in-law and their three teenagers, as well as Rob and Michaye’s son Noah and his friend Mika. We zoomed along the coastline for a while, darting in and out of inlets and admiring the spectacular rock formations and caves, before heading out to sea.

Mika

Noah

Eve (right) and her mom, Jude



Wilson and Jock

Eve and Wilson

Michaye has this amazing ability to spot birds frenzy-feeding above the horizon from what seems miles away – must have something to do with being the daughter of a fisherman and spending her early years on a boat…  And birds feeding equals little fish feeding equals tuna feeding! We headed for the birds, where we dropped in two lines and trolled around for a while. There was a bite – but it turned out to be Uncle Rob yanking on the line…

Michaye spotted more birds, so they reeled in and we headed after them. As we got close we could see the ocean roiling in front of us – silver glinted below the surface as scores of albatross swooped and dived in figure eights above. Everyone whooped in awe at the bubbling sea before quickly dropping in the lines again. It was only a few seconds before Wilson and Eve had tuna on the line… Eve’s dropped off, but Wilson’s hung on.

Eve getting some pointers from her Dad

Wilson with one on the line

Wilson worked hard for that fish – probably 15 to 20 minutes of reeling it in and playing it out – while everyone cheered him on. When we first caught sight of the tuna beside the boat we could hardly believe it – so shiny and silver and beautiful and healthy-looking – but it was what we were here for: tonight’s supper. Finally it came close enough to catch it with the gaffe, and Rob and his brother-in-law Will had it in the boat and on ice in the Esky in 10 minutes, tops. It’s important for the quality of the meat to get it chilled immediately.

We asked how big, and Rob estimated it to be around 30 kilos and worth about $1,000. I told them about the giant bluefins caught at North Lake – 900 kilos? – but it turns out I was mixing up my kilos and pounds… an internet search later brought up the record number of 1,150 pounds, which is about 520 kilos… still a whopper compared to this tasty little guy. I’ll have a whole new appreciation for the feat next time I see one of the North Lake variety on the front page of The Guardian…

We found some more birds to chase, but it was only after we’d almost given up that unexpectedly Jock had a bite… and within maybe 10 minutes we had our second fish on board. It was only slightly smaller than Wilson’s. Both boys were over the moon at their catches.

 

When we got back to the dock Rob made fast work of the filleting, and bagged up several portions to share. That night I had my first taste of sashimi (yum!), and Rob barbecued some of the tuna, along with flounder that he and Noah had caught the day before. It was a feast. But he reminded us: abalone for tea tomorrow night…

So Friday morning he packed up his diving gear, and we headed down to Cloudy Bay, boat in tow. It was a calm morning – hard to believe that Mia’s friend Lizzie had been surfing on it just a few days before…

We putt-putted out into the bay and after a while dropped anchor close to some boulders along shore, where Rob donned wetsuit, snorkel, and mask. The water was cold, grey, and not very inviting… I was glad Michaye and I were snug and dry in the boat. He came back a few times to deposit the heavy six-inch abalone into the bucket. We marveled at the way our fingers stuck to the muscle that would become the meat, and the beauty of the pearlescent shell hidden underneath the black frilly edging. I couldn’t imagine how this would become our tea…

After he was back onboard, Rob measured the shells, and threw back the smaller ones – their lucky day. We had 11, worth about $40 each in the shops – more than enough for a feed, plus some for Rob’s mom’s birthday present.

Late that afternoon Michaye showed me how to prepare them. It was hard work getting the big muscle out of the shell, and I was amazed at how quickly they went from being soft and spongy to being hard as the proverbial rock (and that I wasn’t grossed out by all the squishy bits in the compost!).

Michaye cleaned them like the pro that she is, and sliced them into strips that she then smashed with a mallet out on the deck. (My job was to wear the headlamp and to keep the bubbly flowing. Their golden retriever Splash's job was to clean up the juicy mess…)

Rob came in from setting craypots with Noah in time to fry them up in butter. He added garlic to the second batch. They were delicious – like taking a bite of the ocean.

Saturday morning Rob asked us all how many crayfish he figured the two pots would bring for our lunch. I said five - one for each of us – which was probably a bit greedy, since crayfish in Tasmania sell for about $60 a kilo.

We set out in the boat to collect our lunch, but on the way, Rob and Noah (incurable fishers that they are) threw in some lines and quickly landed eight or so cockies (a small version of Tasmanian salmon). Then Rob handed the line to me. I was amazed when I caught two, too! (Though Rob did the deed and took them off the hook for me.  Does that still count?)

When we got to the craypots, we were disappointed to find that they’d been emptied already by a poacher… Rob knew that the pins weren’t the way he’d left them.  Grrr…

Two undersized crays inhabited the first pot – which I’m sure were thrilled when Rob and Noah dropped them back into the depths of Cloudy Bay. Before they went overboard I noted the difference from our lobster: their front claws are much smaller – not as much meat…  

And there were three ugly shark fish in the second. We were GLAD to throw them back.

We headed back to the house to see if Mia wanted to go water-skiing - the glassy surface was too good to be missed. She was up on the first try and skied like the pro that SHE is.

Back at the house, we had to be content with leftover tuna and abalone for lunch. Oh darn. When we got back to Hobart, Rob presented me with a chunk of the tuna. The joy of that day will live on for another meal or two!

So… abalone for tea… tuna fishing on the Great Southern Ocean... catching fish on Cloudy Bay... definite firsts for me. What’s next, I wonder… raw oysters from Malpeque Bay? Rob and Michaye, Mia and Noah: thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality. I'll remember my visit forever. When oh when are you coming to Prince Edward Island?!