The Abalone King of Monterey

In 1908, “Pop” Ernest Doelter wascrowned the Abalone King. In the kitchen of his Alvarado Street restaurant inMonterey, California, Pop transformed rubbery gastropods into an epicureandelight. Working with red abalone collected by Monterey’s community of Japanesedivers, Pop dipped the foot in egg wash, added a secret ingredient, rolled it incracker crumbs and cooked it quickly in olive oil. Tourists and celebritiesalike sat down at Pop’s table to enjoy his famous recipe, and eventually, heshipped steaks on ice to hotels and restaurants throughout the state. Pull up achair as historian Tim Thomas recounts the story of an innovative restaurateurand a group of pioneering fishermen who turned underappreciated mollusks intothe talk of the 1915 San Francisco World’s Fair.