Ormers - also known elsewhere as abalone - are a local seafood delicacy whose harvesting is strictly controlled to preserve stocks. They can only be collected on a handful of dates between January and April and so they are rarely seen in restaurants. 

There are many ways of cooking ormers but the traditional way to cook them is in a casserole.

Ingredients

Ormers (as many as possible!)

2 strips of belly pork

2-3 carrots

2-3 shallots

Guernsey butter

Bay Leaf

Salt and Pepper

Method

Soak the Ormers in fresh water for an hour.

Remove them from their shells, scrub, trim gently and flatten with a mallet.

Cover in flour and brown in a frying pan with butter and a little oil.

Cut the belly pork into cubes and place in a casserole dish. Slice the carrots and add to the casserole dish together with the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Add the browned ormers to the casserole dish.

Place in pre-heated oven at 160/170C for two hours. Turn down the oven and allow the casserole to simmer until cooked. Enjoy with a Guernsey Biscuit and Guernsey butter!