Guernsey Ormers

Considered a quintessential delicacy in the Channel Island of Guernsey, Guernsey ormers are a type of shellfish, a gastropod mollusk that's been traditionally collected on the island for centuries. This native shellfish (also known as European abalone) is reminiscent of a flattened Pacific abalone (sea snail) but smaller in size.

Its flesh is succulent and has a unique, mild, and slightly meat-like, but still distinctively molluscan flavor. A decline in ormer numbers has led to a strictly controlled harvesting of the island's delicacy, limiting the ormering season to only 24 days in a year between January and April, on full and new moon.

This restriction has made ormer cravings escalate even more since the local seafood delicacy is available only when in season. After they've been tenderized by beating, ormers can be savored in many different ways - stewed, rolled in flour and fried till crispy, dressed, or pickled - but the most traditional way to consume them is as a part of Guernsey's signature ormer casserole.