This creamy paua recipe is full of flavour, quick to whip up and perfect served over fresh pasta. Paua also known as abalone, pairs perfectly with garlic, chorizo and cream, making a delicious sauce and a great way to enjoy these fruits of the sea. Let us show you how to recreate this dish.
For more delicious seafood inspiration take a look at our spicy coconut mussel salad, clam, chorizo and corn chowder, or spicy prawn curry recipes.
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Ingredients
- Paua mince - purchased already minced. Or to mince at home, use a mincer on a course grind or a good food processor. Simply cut the paua meat into chunks and blend.
- Canola oil - or your favourite non flavoured vegetable oil.
- Onion
- Minced garlic
- Chorizo sausage - choose a good quality Spanish sausage with a nice level of spice.
- Cream - full fat cream.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Pasta - we love the silky texture of homemade pasta or fresh store-bought pasta would work work too.
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How to make the paua sauce.
A really simple sauce to whip up. As ever all good recipes start with good prep, so get those ingredients minced and diced first.
- Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil.
- To the frying pan, add the diced onion, minced garlic and diced chorizo, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion becomes translucent and the oil is coming out of the chorizo, you will be able to smell its aroma at this stage. Add the minced paua and stir well.
- Pour the cream into the frying pan, bring to a simmer and reduce the cream by half. Keep an eye on the pan and stir occasionally. Once the sauce is of the consistency to coat the back of your spoon, then it's ready!
Paua in New Zealand.
Paua is entwined in the Maori culture here in New Zealand, regarded as a treasure both for its food (kaimoana) and beautiful shell, used in both traditional and modern day arts and crafts. The beautiful, highly polished paua shell is iconic here in New Zealand and used in traditional Maori carvings to represent the eyes of ancestors gazing down from the night sky.
Serving suggestions.
This creamy paua recipe is delicious served over pasta. You can't beat the texture of fresh homemade pasta. Recreate the beautiful thick ribbons from our dish for an extra special look to the finished plate. You can easily have homemade pasta ready on the go by preparing a batch ahead of time and freezing in portions.
A great alternative is fresh store-bought pasta, dried pasta works well too but does have a different texture to fresh and homemade.
Or skip the pasta altogether and enjoy dripped over fresh crusty bread.
Either way we love to garnish with microgreens.
This creamy paua recipe creates a delicious dish, that highlights a beautiful ingredient. ENJOY!
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Happy cooking!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g Paua mince See note 1
- 3 tablespoon Canola oil
- ½ Onion Peeled, fine diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ Chorizo sausage diced
- 250 ml Cream Full fat
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 servings Pasta fresh or homemade (Around 100g of fresh pasta per person)
- Microgreens (Optional)
Instructions
To cook the pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil to cook your pasta whilst you are preparing your creamy paua sauce. Your fresh pasta will take 3 minutes to cook in the boiling water. For store-bought follow the packet instructions.
Creamy paua sauce
- Heat a large frying pan to a medium heat and add the canola oil.
- Add the diced onion, minced garlic and diced chorizo sausage. Add a pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper and allow to cook until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the paua mince and stir through, add the cream and bring to a simmer and reduce the cream by half. Until the sauce coats the back of the spoon.
- Strain your cooked pasta from the boiling water and add to your creamy paua sauce. Mix well.
- Serve into bowls and garnish with the microgreens.
Notes
Recipe: FAQ's
Abalone, known as paua here in New Zealand, is a meaty flesh encased by a beautiful shell, with a subtle taste and firm texture.
To mince paua use a mincer on a course grind or a good food processor. Simply cut the paua meat into chunks and blend.
Abalone meat is a tough muscle so the meat needs tenderising. It is delicious finely shaved for sashimi, minced or pounded and marinated then seared on the bbq or pan fried.
Natalie says
Fantastic creamy sauce recipe! We loved it in our pasta and kids had it later on with some toast. Delicious, thanks!
Savita says
So creamy and amazingly delicious, loved how easy the recipe is to follow. Fits well to my busy weeknights.
Amy says
We visited New Zealand back in 2020 before the world went crazy and I had paua at a restaurant. It was delicious and this recipe takes me right back there!
Tayler says
I made this paua for dinner last night and it was a hit with the whole family! Full of flavor for sure!
Ann says
ok, gonna make this tonight, including the pasta. My pasta machine doesn't have the cutter, so it's gonna be those thick ribbons. yum. only made pasta once before and it was a bit of a mess. But, since I have the 00 Giromoloni organic flour, I think I should try again. We ordered paua is from the Chatham Islands and the Sausage Press here in the Moutere makes fantastic chorizo. I'll send a photo if all goes well, too bad you won't get to try it.
Ann says
Yup, absolutely delicious! The pasta was fun to make and it was the perfect accompaniment. Thank you.
Sara-Jane Bowness says
Hi Ann, so glad you enjoyed it, sounds like you used some beautiful produce so sure it was delicious. Glad the pasta worked out for you, we love making it too, fresh pasta is just the best. I think you might also love our paua fritters recipe, yum! https://atastykitchen.com/paua-fritters/
Hans Renner says
This was fabulous , fed 3 with seconds , delicious flavours …. We used a Chorizo Salami , paired with a Pinot Gris - divine
Thank you AtastyKitchen
Sara-Jane Bowness says
So glad you enjoyed it and love the pairings 🙂