It’s 10 AM, and the fluorescent lights of the covered market on Via Principe Amedeo illuminate a scene impossible to find elsewhere in the Capital: baskets of yucca next to bundles of Roman parsley, sweet potato flowers alongside variations of zucchini of every shape and size from all over the world, and then spices, roots, herbs, fish. And a strange-looking, very expensive mollusk, resembling an ear, that comes from the sea and is highly prized by Koreans and Chinese. We are at the Esquilino Market, what old-time Romans still call ‘Piazza Vittorio Market.’
A Market Woven into Rome’s History
The history of this market intertwines with that of the Esquilino district, one of Rome’s oldest and most transformed. In the center of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, at the beginning of the twentieth century, an open-air market spontaneously emerged. In 2001, for hygienic reasons, the stalls moved to the renovated spaces of the former Sani Barracks, taking the name of the New Esquilino Market. The multicultural character of the market is its main feature: according to estimates from the Municipality of Rome, 23.5% of residents in the Esquilino district are of foreign origin. This coexistence is evident among the stalls, where Chinese, Bangladeshi, Indian, African, Latin American, and Italian products converge.
The Enigmatic ‘Sea Ear’
Among all the market stalls, number 71 in the fish section attracts attention both for its location and, above all, for what it displays. Here, amidst crushed ice and trays of seafood, one of the most precious and rare marine creatures available for sale in Rome often appears: the abalone, a gastropod mollusk also known as ‘sea ear’ or ‘Venus’ ear,’ which in the global luxury gastronomy market can be sold from 50 euros per kg up to several hundred euros for larger specimens.
Finding it displayed at a Roman neighborhood market stall is, for anyone familiar with the world of culinary excellence, a considerable surprise. Abalone is a mollusk with a flat, oval shell and a mother-of-pearl interior with blue and green reflections. Its shape, so similar to an auricle, earned it its popular nickname.
Why Abalone Commands Such a High Price
The value of abalone is not just a matter of gastronomic fashion; it is highly appreciated for its delicate, savory, umami-rich meat with a tender texture when treated correctly. It has a high content of protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, and omega-3, and is low in fat. It requires intense chewing, has an elastic consistency, and is very different from an oyster, which it partially resembles.
Its rarity explains its price. Abalone lives attached to rocks at depths between 5 and 15 meters, feeding on algae, making it technically very difficult to harvest. Some species are at risk of extinction, and fishing has been strictly restricted in many countries, including California and South Africa, where too many were harvested for years. According to Fine Dining Lovers, a website dedicated to food and wine, there are over 50 species, but only a dozen are farmed for food. The most important farms are in New Zealand and northern Spain, where the only large-scale European site has existed since 2003.
A Prized Delicacy in Asian Communities
In Asia, and more specifically in China, this mollusk holds importance that goes far beyond simple gastronomic value. In Cantonese cuisine, it is one of the ‘treasures’ to be brought to the table on major occasions: Chinese New Year, wedding banquets, dinners with honored guests. For more than 2,000 years, it has represented a status symbol, once the food of aristocratic banquets, and today it is highly sought after by the growing middle class who use it to demonstrate their social standing.
In Italy, abalone is not part of popular gastronomic tradition, but in recent years, it has entered the menus of fine dining restaurants. Chefs like Giancarlo Morelli, Antonio Guida, and Moreno Cedroni have proposed it in versions that dialogue with the territory, served with Mediterranean broths, citrus, or saffron. A product that until yesterday seemed reserved for a few avant-garde kitchens, today appears on a Roman neighborhood market stall, within reach of anyone who wants to discover it.
The Art of Cooking Abalone: Secrets of a Challenging Ingredient
Handling it requires care, because its very compact muscular structure can harden with incorrect cooking. As the great Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa emphasizes in his book ‘Nobu: The Cookbook,’ there are two opposite approaches: very rapid cooking or very slow cooking, even for thirty minutes, to tenderize the meat. There is no middle ground.
To extract it from the shell, a metal spatula is used, sliding it between the meat and the shell. The harder parts, offal, and visceral residues are then removed, and it is carefully washed in cold water. The offal should not be thrown away; it is used to prepare delicate broths and fragrant sauces. And the mother-of-pearl shell, with its iridescent blue and green reflections, becomes a spectacular mise en place.
Raw, it is exceptional, cut into thin slices, seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. In California, it is often marinated and served as sashimi, while in Japan, it is briefly immersed in dashi broth. In Cantonese cuisine, it ends up in fish and mollusk soups, while European restaurants experiment with pairings such as wakame seaweed, crispy pancetta, and seafood mayonnaise.
So, the next time you pass through Esquilino, stop at the fish stalls, ask for abalone. Observe the mother-of-pearl shell, the iridescent reflections, the meat that promises a distant taste of the sea. A mollusk worth hundreds of euros in starred restaurants in Paris, Hong Kong, or Tokyo. Here, amidst the smell of spices and voices in ten different languages, you find it in a Roman neighborhood market, a stone’s throw from Termini Station. It’s the magic of Esquilino: the whole world, compressed into a single shed.
Source: https://www.gamberorosso.it/notizie/rubriche/storie/mercato-esquilino-roma-abalone-orecchio-mare/
