Noah and Milo were super helpful. We bought a variety of sizes of the red abalone. Plus: sea urchin. The tour of the farm was super memorable. Got some sea lion visitors too. read more

Monterey Abalone - the farm - Seafood Markets Near Me - Monterey, California

We bought abalone at the farm last Saturday for a dinner on Sunday. One of the owners got them out of their water environment for us and packed them well, while the other explained how to keep them from toughening up. I cleaned and prepared them on Sunday, and they were tender and delicious. Terrific experience! read more

We bought 6 uni, most of them had little or no meat to them. We paid $40 and it was a waste of money. We were very disappointed. The Staff at the location were super nice and we learned a lot about sea urchins. read more

Best in the Business - Consistently Excellent! I honestly don't know what that other review is talking about -- it must be completely mistaken, or maybe someone just had a bad day and decided to take it out on the wrong people. I've been buying from Monterey Abalone Company for years, both in person and online, and I have never once had a single issue with their product or their customer service. These people are some of the most passionate, honest, and hard-working people I've ever met in this industry. Every abalone I've received has been incredibly fresh, healthy, and full of the signature rich flavor that only comes from expertly cared-for animals. Shipping has always been reliable, the packaging is top-notch, and I've never received anything that looked dead, deflated, or flavorless -- quite the opposite, actually. To accuse this company of "scamming" is absurd. These abalone are raised with care over years -- not some rushed, mass-produced product. If you know your abalone (as I do), you can tell the difference instantly. Sounds like the reviewer just wanted to be miserable. If you're reading this and on the fence, trust the people who have supported this company for years: Monterey Abalone Company is the real deal. Five stars every single time. read more

Really friendly and amazing service at Monterey Abalone. We came down to try abalone sashimi. Service was excellent and they answered all questions that my curious kids asked. Highly recommend! read more

Monterey Abalone - Amazing fresh abalone - Seafood Markets Near Me - Monterey, California

Ray the owner for something close to 30 years is truly one of the kindest people around! As he was closing the door to his shop he stoped and helped us with our request. This entailed going down into the farm below deck, picking just the right ones and bringing them up for packing. The world needs more Rays !!!' Thank you see you next year.BTW they were so good, read more

This company used to be reputable. I bought abalone a few times. Its tasted right, and their customer service was good. Well I spent $405 on 6 "xlarge" abalone and I am very disappointed. It is watery, the weight varied between 11 to 12 ounces when they first arrived. Once I took them out they drained so much liquid that they were probably HALF of The weight. They even taste like water, not abalone. It seems like they are pumping them up with water to add to the weight. Not even one of these is close to 1 lb as stated on their website. As someone who regularly would dive for abalone when it was still legal, I know my abalone! These people are scamming people out of their money. Drop the water weight and advertise what people are actually getting - tiny scraggly flavorless abalone. DEAD abalone that look like they have been dead a while. No way these are 8 years old as stated on your website. Not only that, but their customer service is terrible. Ordered early in the morning on a Thursday to be delivered Friday - as their website states is available and abalone were not shipped until the following Tuesday. I would not order from them again. Offered a measly $5 off a 405 dollar order. Pathetic. read more

Monterey Abalone - Abalone from monterey abalone - Seafood Markets Near Me - Monterey, California

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It was a beautiful sunny day in Monterey where I had the unique opportunity to learn all about the business of sustainable Abalone farming from Art Seavey, Owner of the Monterey Bay Abalone Company. I was with a group of 10 friends for a tour hosted by Art. As we entered his small office we couldn't help but notice the large trapdoor in the middle of the wooden floor. Soon, all eyes were fixed on Art as he demonstrated how to descend through the trapdoor on a bolt upright, wet and steely ladder leading to the dark and cavernous underworld of the Abalone farm beneath the pier. It was gloomy and the planks were weeping all around us. There was a salty smell in the air that was both fish and animal. Unbeknownst to the tourists sauntering overhead, there is a vast sea farm of 150,000 Abalone being raised and harvested beneath the wharf. There's a system of sturdy mesh cages that dangle in the sea from a network of beams and pulleys. The cages hold anywhere from 150 to 6,000 abalone depending upon their shell size. The cages are designed to protect the Abalone and Mollusks from the sea otters that are always on the lookout for an easy snack. After our tour, Art taught us how to shuck, clean and tenderize the Abalone we purchased. We gained a new appreciation for the high price of Abalone as they are difficult and labor intensive to raise and can take up to 7 years to mature. Plus, we learned first hand how time consuming they are to prepare. The end result was a delicious feast that everyone worked so hard for. And if that wasn't enough, Art Seavey gave us a wine tasting flight from his very own family winery named Seavey Vineyard located in the Napa Valley. They're known for producing world-class, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot. According to Robert Parker, the Seavey family has..."The most underrated great Cabernet produced in Napa Valley....with perhaps the best second label wine in Napa, the Caravina Cabernet...keep in mind I have Seaveys going back to 1990 in my cellar." Robert Parker, Wine Critic, The Wine Advocate, December 2008. We walked away with our bellies full and our minds enriched by a truly remarkable day of adventure and learning from Art Seavey. We can't thank him enough! read more

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This place is amazing. The best under-the-wharf gourmet seafood and scientific collection ever! Don't let the look fool you. Here the people are very passionate about marine life collection and sustainable seafood farming. We tried the sea urchin, abalone (ask for an amazing illustrated recipe), sea cucumber. Abalone is definitely the signature here. It was very simple to prep because how fresh everything is. We prepped the sea urchin sashimi style, abalone steamed and marinated it tenderized super well, sea cucumber was made into a soup by slow cooking to render it soft. LOVE THIS PLACE and the passion. Definitely a must-try in edible Monterey. Personally I am super fascinated by the work and passion of all the people who work here. They are super friendly. There are multiple partners, family members and all the staff volunteer their time give talks for local students, aquarium about the Monterey Bay and its marine life. Price is totally totally reasonable. I had to pick up expensive Abalone at Nijiya Markets before (which was good!) but after trying this, I can never have another elsewhere. read more

My husband found this place for us to buy some fresh fish from while we were in town in Monterey. I've been coming to Monterey for over a decade now and never knew about this place. We bought a one pound abalone and it was rad! It was alive and they gave it to us with ice and oxygen so we could keep it alive and well until we took it home to cook. We husband chucked it a few days later once we got home. We cooked the little guy up on New Year's Eve along with some fresh giant prawns and some swordfish steaks which we also purchased next door. The abalone was amazing and an experience of a lifetime. The swordfish was also fabulous and we wished we got more of it. We'll be back for sure! read more

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Wonderful find! Self sustaining abalone farm in the Monterey Bay! Found this great place while walking the wharf area of the bay. Super friendly and knowledgable people who run this natural sustaining abalone culturing. Picked up 3 pounds of abalone of different sizes and they kept them alive in oxygen infused bags w/ foam and gel packs. Amazing how fresh tasting abalone is from the ocean. These abalone eat green kelp and therefore you don't have to worry about any red tides / domic acid issues. They are delicious eaten raw (sashimi style), pan fried, and chowders. Definitely a must go to for any abalone lovers! read more

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This is a cool place and the abalones are high quality. I bought a "1pound" abalone for $29.95. My main issue is that they weigh the abalone with the shell on. After removing the shell and guts the yield is about 2/3 pound with a resulting price of $43.56/pound. At that price, sashimi is probably the way to go. It's pricey but worth buying to support the industry. read more

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Live abalone! And at a great price! We came in twice to get some fresh abalone and loved it! They provide great packaging that keeps the abalone alive for 36 hours! The 3/4 pound abalone was $26 per pound. 1/2 pound abalone was $24 per pound. Sometimes they have fresh uni and sea cucumber too! read more

Monterey Abalone - 3/4 pound abalone. - Seafood Markets Near Me - Monterey, California

Great way to pick up some abalone. Unfortunately there's no other way to go at this point, but he has some great abalone for a decent price. No frills and very straight forward. The sizing is a bit small, but you're not going to get any bigger anywhere else. They know what they're doing with shipping and the pricing really wasn't bad. For those of us traveling from a good ways away it's definitely worth doing the overnight boxes and filling it up with goodies. read more

Absolutely love this place! Matt was a great help. The abalones are fresh so are the sea urchins! I definitely will be coming here more often to grab all my abalone cravings! read more

This place is wonderful ..... Art gave us a great tour, we just love the whole operation, I grew up in Big Sur, and we used to get black Abalones off the rocks in November, best mines tides, the ones here are just as good as good as the wild ones, maybe even tender... read more

Monterey Abalone - Seafood Markets Near Me - Monterey, California

Abalone diving and hunting is a tough gig. You go out, you dive and then you've got to pry the things off of the rock at the moment before they decide to suck themselves tightly like the bicep of a gorilla. Monterey Abalone provides you this delight for much less than the latter work I just described. Furthermore, they've come up with a farmed sustainable product that eats just as well the wild fare. Too bad this place is so far from where I live. I guess Ill just have to settle when I visit the family out here or rely on some chefs to get it for me! read more

Fresh and delicious! I bought a pound (4 pieces) of fresh abalone yesterday and took them all the way back to the east bay. The staff pumped oxygen and put in dried ice to keep them fresh. They were in good condition when I made it home after 3 hours. I ate them raw, it is the most delicious food ever! I would definitely visit again. read more

Monterey Abalone - Seafood Markets Near Me - Monterey, California

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Nicest people ever! We bought seafood next door to bring back to the South and Monterey Abalone Co. were so cooperative in helping us pack the seafood for our flight home. I would definitely go back next time and check out their abalone farm. read more

Monterey Abalone - Kelp being dried to feed the abalones! - Seafood Markets Near Me - Monterey, California

Came today on 5/16/16 to pick up some abalone. I happened to watch a local tv channel with a segment featuring Monterey Abalone. Having always eaten wild abalone caught from the waters north of SF, I was hesisitant to see how these tasted. I picked up 3 abalones for about $45. All staff was super friendly and helpful. Was given a guide on how to shuck and clean the abalone, which came in handy when we brought home to clean. We prepared in a soup, and thoroughly pleased! It tasted fresh, and was very tender. It even got the approval of my parents who have are quite picky when it comes to freshness of seafood. We've purchased ones from Costco as well, that were farm raised and they had a metallic after taste. These just purchased tasted almost the same as the ones from the wild, just more tender and easier to get! While these smaller ones were tasty, hoping to pick some up once they get a bit bigger! Also, there was a posted sign about sea cucumbers and sea urchin soon. Not sure how regular will have, but you can call ahead to ask. They accept credit cards! read more

As good as it gets because I've never encountered anything else like it. It's an abalone farm under the pier. You choose the size of abalone you want and they'll let you know how much per pound that size will be. Then the guy climbs down this ladder to fetch your abalone right out of the bay! They package the abalone and even include ice. The guy told us how to clean and cook the abalone as well. The abalone was really sweet and (obviously) fresh. I sauteed it with some mushrooms, dried scallops, and oyster sauce and laid it on top of a bed of baby bok choy. I will definitely be cooking my own abalone from now on! read more

Such a great price for what they offer!!! The attendant is so friendly! She went above and beyond for offering careful packaging as well as preparation guide for the fresh and high quality abalone they offer. Make sure you drive all the way in and park in front of the store to make sure you don't have to carry boxes of fresh good to your car! read more

Little place, at the end of the commercial wharf in Monterey. It's strictly farmed abalone, no other seafood (though there are several seafood places next door). Make sure to check hours, as they're only open during the day. Little abalone shells make great Christmas tree decorations. read more

Fun and you get a lot of information on this industry. Really enjoyed the info on abalone and love the fact you can ask for shipments to come to your home throughout the year. Very cool read more

Quick and easy pick up. They have parking at the end of the pier. People were very nice. We got fresh abalone and did not have to go dive to get it. read more

Bought 2 1/4 pound abalone. Wife made sashimi abalone. Was better than any sushi shop ever had. Will do it again.

Thanks to Trevor for helping me get fresh Abalone to North Carolina despite the best efforts of Fed Ex to mess it up. Great spot and A+ service. read more

A nice young man helped us. He provided us with instructions on how to shuck and clean the abalone. Their website has a number of recipies to try. This abalone is smaller and younger so you don't need to tenderize it much. It's a fantastic product. read more

My family and I just went this past Saturday to get some large abalones; we bought 16 in all and they were all pretty good in average size. When we were here last time (late last year), the largest abalone size wasn't available so we settled for the next size down and it was just as good but it was very small (I am used to ones that are as big as an adult head). The abalones are always fresh, easy to clean and tastes very close to the wild abalones from the ocean which I've had a ton of time when I was little. If you are not up for the drive, they have next day shipping for only about $25 to the bay area, which is considered inexpensive when factoring how much gas costs these days! read more