For abalone to taste good, it needs to be cleaned; otherwise, it will not only have an off-flavor but also oil stains and various impurities.
Those packaged, ready-made abalones, due to industrial processing, need to be grasped and washed one to two times with flour before being eaten. This way, the abalone won't have impurities or an off-flavor.
Lin Xu said:
"Abalone also requires grasping and washing because using flour to wash not only removes dirt but also makes the abalone whiter and more tender. It's not just abalone; fluffy ingredients like pigskin are best grasped and washed with flour or starch as well."
Once the abalone in the basin is thoroughly soaked, Lin Xu scoops it out, adds a large handful of flour, and begins to grasp and wash it.
Initially, when soaking, there didn't seem to be much oil on the water surface, but once grasped and washed, all the hidden grease came out. Just for this reason alone, the cleaning step cannot be skipped.
