Paua Fritters

Paua is New Zealand abalone, a large sea snail that clamps to rocks in the surf zone. The shell is the famous part - iridescent blue and green, used in Maori carving for the eyes of figures and sold as jewellery worldwide - but the animal inside is food, and the standard treatment is to mince the tough black-grey flesh, mix it with egg and a little flour, and fry it as a fritter. The taste is strong and distinctly of the sea, with a slight chew, and it divides people more than most things on a takeaway menu. Good ones are mostly paua; poor ones are mostly batter. Gathering it yourself is heavily regulated - minimum shell size, a low daily bag limit, no diving with breathing apparatus, and closed areas - and enforcement is real, with prosecutions for poaching every year. Buying it cooked avoids all of that.

What you actually see

• The fritter - minced dark flesh, egg, minimal flour, fried.
• The shell - iridescent, carved and sold separately, everywhere.
• The taste - strong, marine, chewy, and not universally liked.
• The regulation - size limits, low bag limits, no scuba, active enforcement.

When to go

Available year-round at coastal takeaways. Kaikoura and the southern coasts are the most reliable places to find good ones.

Honest expectations

Strong-tasting and chewy - many people try it once. Cheap versions are mostly batter. If you plan to gather your own, check the current size, bag and method rules first; poaching is prosecuted.

Nearby

Kaikoura, the Catlins and Chatham Islands are the strongest paua coasts.