Ginger Soy Steamed Butterfish

He's a Mahi guy and she's an Opah girl. So,...Butterfish? "What the heck is butterfish?" This is exactly what I said when I first heard about it on Christmas Day, 2006, the day I surprised and proposed to my wife, Dawn, on the beach, at sunset on the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa shoreline, just Northeast of Kona, Hawaii

Stay with me now for a bit, because you're soon going to get to the recipe to make this beautiful and tasty dish in just a few minutes. Gotta A.D.D. first... :)

Looks pretty onolicious, eh, brah? Hang tight!

Okay, short story; you can read about the whole, amazing event in my book. After the beach proposal Dawn and I ended up at Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill where we had dinner and met Manager, and now friend, Arnie. What a small world because Arnie went to Kamehameha, Dawn to Iolani, and me to Punahou. Yeah, we know which one's best :) And, get this, Arnie's cousin is a friend and Punahou classmate of mine and his Auntie is a family friend as she and my Mom worked together in the Punahou School Admissions Office. WOW! I mean, brah, this is one small world.

So, we meet, we talk a bit, and Arnie joins us at the table and asks about our wedding plans. We tell him it will be on King's Knoll, right across the street at the Marriott and in August 2007. And, yes, David O. was our photographer. What a great guy and fantastic photographer! Yup, we planned our entire wedding in a manner of a few short hours with a few, well, refreshments, and a lot of phone calls. "Reception?," Arnie asks. I respond with, "Not sure yet." He says, "Why not right here?" as he points down at us all sitting at the table together. I come back with, "Roy doesn't do wedding receptions at the restaurant." I was, am still a great fan of Roy's as Chef Roy Yamaguchi worked with my Dad back when he opened his first Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii Kai way back in 1988. My Dad worked in Commercial Property Management and Roy needed a place to open his first restaurant. Arnie next comes back with, "Well, he does now 'cause you're going to have it right here!" OMG, as the saying goes…This is going to be great.

So, we looked over the menu and discussed options right there, that night. The Misoyaki Butterfish appetizer came up and I had never heard of it before. I'm more of a Mahi guy while Dawn is an Opah girl. So Arnie suggested we try the butterfish and, OMG (yup,...again), it was freaking amazing! I had never tasted such a great fish and this recipe was wonderful. It just melted in my mouth and the flavors mixed so well together. My palate was have multiple org....well, you get it. ;)

Eight months later, Arnie shut down half the restaurant that evening and our wedding reception at Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill was nothing but spectacular! Everyone commented on what a 'different' reception it was and what a phenomenal meal they had that evening. Yes, the Misoyaki Butterfish Appetizer was definitely on the menu that evening. Also, thanks to Arnie, each table got a large Chocolate Soufflé to share while Dawn and I got a personal one (below) to have together. Let me just say, when you go to Roy's, get the Chocolate Soufflé. Understand? Get it!

So, back to butterfish. We hadn't heard of it for outside of Roy's until my great friend, Kent, sent me a Facebook message last month in Apr 2012, asking if I'd like some butterfish. Wow, I haven't heard that name in awhile. Butterfish, not Kent. :) Kent owns and operates Poi Boy Fishing in Anchorage, Alaska. He and I go way back to when we flew fighters together in England (a long time ago on a continent far, far away). So, after inquiring about the butterfish from Kent though a few e-mail exchanges, I learned that it's basically all the same. I mean, Black Cod is Butterfish, which is also know as Ling Cod. So, yeah, we're in. You better believe we're in! I think my mouth even watered a bit as I remembered Roy's butterfish and put two and two together. Seriously, I don't think I would ever order Black Cod on a restaurant menu if I saw it. Oh, yeah, I'd order butterfish, but cod? You mean, fish and chips type cod? Ah, yeah, not so much; not the same.

Heck, we're writing this cookbook too and we both remember Roy's onolicious Misoyaki Butterfish. We're always anxious for new recipes to make and design so this would be a great opportunity to work with butterfish ourselves. So, I say yes to Kent and a couple of day's later we get this ice packed box delivered via FedEx overnight and I open it to gaze upon 8 beautifully filleted and vacuum sealed sides of butterfish, fresh from the waters of Alaska. Seriously, look at this!

Nicely done, my friend. And please, check out Kent's, Poi Boy Fishing web page where you can order and receive beautiful filets just like those above. Nice pitch, huh?

Next up...a recipe. Well, neither Dawn nor I have Roy's Misoyaki Butterfish recipe, but Dawn had just returned from Kaneohe, Hawaii where she was visiting her newborn twin nieces. While there she was served a Ginger Soy Steamed fish that her sister-in-law, Viki, made for dinner one evening. She got her verbal recipe from a chef at the Hilton Waikoloa in Hawaii after an amazing anniversary meal. Dawn raved about how great it was, sending pictures on the night she had it.

Later that month, after coming home from a company trip and soon after Dawn's return from the islands, I arrived to find that she had made the Ginger Soy Steamed fish recipe for me with a piece of Mahi we had in the freezer. Remember, he's a Mahi guy? Well, needless to say, it was truly amazing and the oohing and aahing Dawn did via text that evening in Hawaii was spot on. Here it is accompanied with some forbidden rice.

Ginger Soy Steamed Mahi Mahi

So, let's make it sometime with Kent's butterfish, I thought. And what a great time to do it as Dawn's Dad and Step-Mom were soon to visit and they both love fish. So, we took out a couple fillets, cut them in half, and thawed them out for dinner. Collectively, we put the dinner together and the fish was again, the star of the meal.

Wow, thank's for hanging in there for me!  Here's the recipe:

Ginger Soy Steamed Butterfish

Fish:

4 - 4-6 ounce fillets

1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger Root

1/2 Tablespoon Salad Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a blender or food processor, add oil and ginger and puree until smooth. Pour over fish

and mix to cover. Let stand for 1 hour.

Sauce:

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger Root

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

Red Chili Flakes to taste

In a separate container, mix 1/4 Cup Cornstarch with 1/4 Cup Water

Combine sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken, 10-15

minutes. Slowly add cornstarch mixture until desired thickness is reached.  You will not use all of the mixture.  Keep warm.

Garnish:

Cilantro

Julienned Carrots

Julienned Scallions (green part only)

1/4 Cup Peanut Oil

2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seeds

To Prepare the dish:

Season ginger infused fish with salt and pepper. Transfer to a basket steamer and

steam for 6 minutes or until flesh just starts to flake when pierced with a fork.

When fish is done, transfer to individual plates and drizzle sauce over fish. Top with

cilantro, green onions and carrots.

In a small pan, heat peanut oil until smoking. Drizzle smoking peanut oil over cilantro, green onions,

and carrots.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Served here with forbidden rice and grilled artichoke with garlic aioli. The grilled artichoke and garlic aioli are in a totally separate recipe.

And here's the plating:

Ginger Soy Steamed Butterfish

Well, there you have it: one short story about our engagement night and a great new recipe to try for yourself. Seriously, it's very easy to make and takes no time at all. It's even faster if you have the sauce already prepared or frozen.  Dawn made a double batch of the sauce so we had it ready to go and the steaming takes only 6 minutes, so as amazing as the recipe is, you can have it on the table in no time.  Yes, I was a Mahi guy and Dawn an Opah girl, so this recipe would also work well on just about any sweet, white, flaky fish. Trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised and your palate will luv it. And remember, we still have some butterfish sealed away in the freezer, so don't be surprised if you see it on the table if you come and visit us.  (Thanks again Kent!)

Oh, and here's the picture I took moments after that proposal on Christmas Day, 2006. I had her hooked at that point, so I got to take some pictures while she made phone calls. Oh, the hopeless romantic...

Mahalo for Cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

.

Panko Crusted Passion Fruit Wasabi Mustard Mahi Mahi

On a recent trip to Kauai and driving back from hunting rainbows in Waimea Canyon, I slowed down as Dawn and I drove through the small, quaint town of Waimea. On the Southwest shore of Kauai, Waimea reminded both of us of the small town atmosphere of the seventies on Oahu where we grew up.

Just as we were leaving, I looked over and remembered something that Dawn had mentioned earlier in the day on our way to Waimea Canyon. Listening to your spouse/partner and actually remembering what he/she said? Money, baby; pure gold! Well, I made an immediate left turn and she knew exactly what I was steering for, as she said, “Oh, Aunty Lilikoi’s, you remembered!” Yes, she had read about Aunty Lilikoi Passion Fruit Jellies, Jams, and Mustards in the inflight magazine (Hana Hou) on our Hawaiian Airlines flight to the islands and she wanted to make sure we checked it out.  Their products were highly rated and raved about by many people.  But, we needed to find out for ourselves what all the fuss was about.  A local-kine shop with local-kine products made by local-kine people? We’re in, baby! 

Walking in, it first appeared to be a back room packaging and shipping operation lacking the amenities and the layout you’d expect from a tourist-type product store. Did we come in the back door? Is this the right place? Were they laundering money? Should we be armed? Should we call Five-O? It didn’t look like an outlet store either. We thought we had the wrong location until Dawn asked the one person in the shop if we were in the right place. A warm and friendly islander woman, whom we later found out was born and raised in Kauai, immediately greeted us. Yes, we had the right place, indeed.

The main reason for our visit?...Dawn was intrigued by the flavor combinations they had to offer and had seen the products in the hotel shop, but wanted to sample a few items before we bought them. She asked, “Do you have any samples?” to which the reply was, “Ah, no,…sorry,” with a big smile. Immediately, Dawn was bummed, "Oh, maaaan..." Then, from behind the counter our hostess pulled up a tray and out came a whole display with samples of every jelly, jam, butter, marinade, rub, dressing and mustard they carried. We all laughed together and so began our taste testing.

Let me just say this, in one word, WOW!  Every single thing we had was absolutely fantastic.  These products would be a dream for a Chef of any experience level.  They would make perfect sauces as well as compliment an array of recipes.  Even on their own, tasted from a little plastic spoon, each was a unique flavor sensation.  Passion Fruit or Lilikoi is one of our favorite Hawaiian fruits and Aunty Lilikoi obviously knows how to make the best of an already awesome fruit.  They also carry a line of all natural beauty products and candles.  Their authentic local and award winning flavors would make awesome gifts.  They definitely beat the usual chocolate covered macadamia nuts, ABC store trinket, and the all too common “they went to Hawaii and all I got was this lousy t-shirt” many island visitors take home to loved ones. BTW, we bought gifts so the beanbag is spilled right here. If you don’t get one from us, you didn’t make the cut, probably because you don’t comment on my blog or we don’t have your address. ;) hint…hint…

We both most favored the Lilikoi Wasabi Mustard, their star attraction.  We came home bearing jars of jelly, mustards and bottles of dressings, waiting for the right meal to crack them open.  My first idea was a seared and baked Panko Crusted Passion Fruit Wasabi Mustard Mahi Mahi, adorned on top with Aunty Lilikoi's Famous Lilikoi Passion Fruit Wasabi Mustard.

Here's the outcome:

Onolicious? ...or what, brah? Oh, yes it was very much so. It was my surprise dinner for Dawn on the first day back from this Kauai trip.

Here's the quick recipe. The full recipe has been added to the cookbook.  While any fish would do, I chose Mahi Mahi.  But I'm sure any smooth, flaky whitefish would work well, like Ono, Opah, or White/Orange Roughy.

Ingredients:

2 fish fillets (of choice)

Soy sauce

Rice Wine Vinegar

2 cups (approximately) Panko bread crumbs

2 cups (approximatelu) Flour

1 egg

Asian spice rub

Aunty Lilikoi's Lilikoi Wasabi Mustard

Let fillets marinate in soy sauce and rice wine vinegar mixture for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and dry fillets. Brush each side of the filet with The Mustard and generously dust fillets on both sides with Asian Spice rub. Let the fillets rest and become one with their spices for at least 20 minutes. Beat 1 egg. Carefully coat each side of each fillet with the egg wash and coat with flour. Re-coat with the egg wash and then generously coat each fillet with the panko bread crumbs. Cover and rest in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. (The fish, not you)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt 1 TBS each EVOO and butter in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat to 375 degrees.  I added a dollop of coconut oil as well. Cook each fillet for 2 minutes on each side for, allowing skillet to regain its temperature between the flip for a nice, golden sear. Then place fillets in the 400 degree oven, elevated off the pan with a rack, for 2 minutes.

Remove from oven, drizzle the top of each fillet with Aunty Lilikoi’s, Passion Fruit Wasabi Mustard. Serve atop a bed of steamed, brown rice with fresh steamed broccoli, steamed carrots, and for a starter, a side of fresh jumbo shrimp cocktail works great.

We also picked up some of Aunty Lilikoi's Mango Java Steak Rub for meats and can highly recommend them as well. We used our steak rub on some beautiful filets one evening and they were fantastic.  The coffee, mango, and secret spices all melded together but without over-powering the meat.  Instead, the rub brought out the best of the rich flavor of the beef.  Well done, Aunty!

So next time you’re in Kauai or on the Internet, I’d strongly suggest you give Aunty Lilikoi a visit. You will luv it. Oh, and try fo send us da kine too, brah…as one gift. ;)

(Dedicated to our friend, Julia, who wanted a Hawaiian dish posted)

Mahalo for traveling and cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Spicy Asian Phyllo Wrapped Halibut Fillet

Okay, so this past week I decided to think up, and create yet another dish for the cookbook, but this time based on a fish. Our good friend, Vanessa, went to Homer, Alaska last month for a fishing trip in celebration of her birthday. She had an awesome time and also brought us back some very nice Halibut fillets. WooHoo!!

So, I have actually never cooked Halibut before and only tried it for the first time just this past year. I happened to be passing through Seattle (SeaTac) one day on a trip and got some fish & chips from the Ivar's Seafood in the airport. If I get something there, I usually just get a cup of their clam chowder, because it is da bomb! So this time I went out on a limb and got the Halibut, since my friend and old (really old) flying buddy, Kent, from my F-111 days in England owns and operates Pio Boy Fishing & Wilderness Lodge in Homer, Alaska and raves about the Halibut. I remember telling him recently via e-mail that I'd never had Halibut and he razzing me about it too. So, I got the Halibut at SeaTac, although it was fried, and it was quite tasty.

BTW, Kent went to Kamehameha Schools (Kam) in Honolulu, but I try not to hold that against him. ;) He and Dawn can hash it out for the #2 spot since she went to Iolani. :)

Oh, and also did you notice that Vanessa went fishing in Homer and Kent's business is located in Homer? Bummer, but when we found out about Vanessa's trip, it was already all booked so we couldn't send her his way. :(

Now, what was I to do for this dish? How to cook the Halibut and how to make it special? A-ha...phyllo dough! Why? Don't know.

So, let's begin. Oh, for those of you who stop here and don't go to the end, this dish was awesome. I cooked it for Dawn and I got the thumbs up, big time. Although I used Halibut, Dawn and I agree that it would also be good using Opah or Mahi, as well. A nice white, moist, flakey fish works well in the phyllo dough.

The specifics of the recipe are not here in precise detail as I am adding them to the cookbook. If you'd like it, just let me know and I'll e-mail it to you when it's ready to go.

So, I began by creating a sauce to marinate the fish itself in that would also enhance the finished product as well. In a small sauce pan (duh!) I added the following ingredients:

• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Fresh Ginger (diced)
• Hunan Red Chili Sauce (for that little kick)
• Hoisin Sauce
• Fresh Lemongrass (Diced)
• Sake

I heated up this mixture and reduced it a bit, until thickened, and then let it cool because I didn't want it to begin cooking the fish during the marinade process. Next, gingerly brush each side of each fillet (2 fillets, totaling about 1/2 pound) with the cooled sauce. Don't forget to save some to top the final phyllo packaged fish during plating. If you have a vacuum seal container, then this is the perfect time to dust it off and bust it out.

Vanessa gave us quite a bit more of her catch, but I didn't want to ruin them all if this recipe didn't work. Plus, tonight it was just the two of us and leftover fish??? Yeah, not so much. (insert yucky face here..agreed?)

Okay, so you've generously brushed each fillet with the cooled sauce and set aside to marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Next, really heat up a cast iron skillet and add a touch of coconut oil. Flash fry each fillet for just 10 seconds a side, just to crisp up the outside. Do not cook the fish!

After you flash them, set the fillets aside to cool and soak them in the yummy marinade. You can also put a bit more marinade on at this point.

Now, julienne some carrots, broccoli stalks, and green onions (My fancy French wife taught me that term which for you novice cooks means cut into 2-3 inch slivers or small stalks.)  And here I thought is was "Try fo cut 'em up, like dis." Okay, these "julienned" veggies are to be placed on top of the fillets, prior to wrapping. They will be cooked nicely, al dente, and add some onolicious flavor to the final meal.

Time to heat up the oven to 425 degrees.

Now, to prepare the 4 sheets of phyllo. With a brush, gingerly brush the first sheet of dough, corner to corner with melted butter. Do NOT expose them to air any longer than necessary or they will dry out (lesson learned the hard way). Lay the second sheet on top of the first and again, butter the dough. Do this to all 4 sheets. Now cut the stack of 4 sheets in half, right down the middle. And for you challenging, perfectionist type viewers, that would be vertically, not horizontally.

Next, place a cooled, flashed fried fillet near the bottom of one of the stacked sheets. On top of the fillet, add some of the sliced carrots, broccoli stalks, and green onion. It should look like this:

Lookin' pretty ono already, huh? Now, fold in both sides of the phyllo, bring the bottom up to the center of the fillet, and then fold 'em up like one burrito, brah. Here's what you should have now:

A nice little wrapped package all ready for some string, a bow, and gift tag before going under the tree. Oops, wrong post. BTW, Dawn came home by now and helped me wrap the fillet up, because, to be honest, I suck at it. You should see my Christmas presents! LOL Kinda why I've gone to just gift cards and jewelry...easy to wrap.

Okay, back to the recipe. Now place your Hawaiian Burrito on a baking sheet (we use the silicone sheets) and baste the top with butter. Place in the oven and bake for 11-14 minutes. You really have to watch this, because if you just rely on the time alone, the phyllo will over cook and burn. It will depend in part on the thickness of your fillet and your oven. Our fillets were on the thinner side, so 11 minutes was perfect.

Remove your presents from the over and serve immediately, while still piping hot inside. I served this with (Thank you Dawn) a side of shrimp cocktail, white rice on top of some fresh bok choy, steamed broccoli and carrots, and steamed and shelled edamame.

Well, are you ready to see the final product yet? Here it is!

Spicy Asian Phyllo Wrapped Halibut Fillet

Oh, does that look onolicious, or what?

Before serving, adorn the top of the fillet with some slivers of the carrots and green onions, sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds, and spoon on some of the sauce that was made in the beginning. Oh, heat the sauce up again before putting it on the hot fillet.

These final touches not only make this meal complete, but it makes for a eye appealing dish. Oh, yeah, and I'm a photographer too so it makes for a great photo. I take all the pictures of the recipes I'm preparing for the cookbook.

So that's it. Dawn and I had this for our dinner. It rocked!!...and is definitely a keeper. The Halibut was moist and tender and the sauce was very yummy. The phyllo added a perfect, light, buttery crunch that is an excellent accent to the rich fish flavor. We'll try it with the Opah or maybe Mahi next time. 

Please try it some time and let me know what you think.

One last thing, if you haven't already voted for my recipe in the Hawaiian Airlines contest, PLEASE take just a few second and click on the link below and 'Vote me up' by clicking on the 'like' or 'vote me up' link on the page. I am still hanging out on page 2 of the contest and the average web surfer doesn't get that far. There are 62 pages of entrants, so page 2 is not bad, but the finalist are chosen from the top 10 and they're on page 1. So please vote if you haven't already done so and pass the link on to family, friends, co-workers, or just anyone. It's a Facebook contest on the Hawaiian Air website, so you have to be signed in to FB when voting and, I believe, you can only vote once. Here's the link:

VOTE BOBBY UP!

Mahalo for cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel