Put the abalone under cold running water and, with a small sanitized brush, aggressively scrub to remove as much of the black layer as possible. (On small abalone this is primarily for aesthetic reasons—so don't worry if there are some stubborn sections that refuse to budge.)

Do you have to clean abalone?

Live abalone needs to the cleaned and tenderised before cooking.

How do you clean and shine abalone?

Soak the abalone shell in water. This will loosen out the seaweed and other growths on the shell. Scrub off the exterior surface of the shell with a wire brush to remove dirt, sands, algae, sponges and other organisms. Wash it off with water.