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

First Officer Takes Flight

Aloha and Happy Monday,

Many of you may be familiar with my great photo of Kona Kai leaping off the dock near the cabin at Donner Lake. For those of you who are not, here it is...

Yes, our little First Officer loves the water! She'll jump at any chance to take a leap into any temperature of water to fetch a stick, toy, ball, etc. But now she is all about the tennis ball and nothing else. Always wearing one of her many scarves, she's trained so that when the scarf comes off, it's either bath time or water time! Oh, or a new scarf.

Singing/howling/praying to the tennis ball God, I think

In fact, if her scarf falls off, she has been known to pick it up and bring it to you to have it put back on. It's a little tough for her, you know, with the whole lack of an opposable thumb deal and all.

One other item to note; even though she's around water, she will not go in unless her one word command is given, often just whispered into her ear. We'll keep that word a little secret for now too. ;) It's very cool, though, because you can be swimming in the pool, and even playing with her tennis ball, and she won't come in. Talk about restraint, huh, especially for a Lab? Everyone told us when we put in the pool, we'd never be able to keep a Lab out of it. But after the first day of training, Kona got it and will quietly hang outside the pool until she hears her magic word.

So, yesterday it topped 100 degrees up here in Catta Verdera. It was indeed a pool day and Kona seemed to know it. Off came the scarf and on came 'THAT' look! Oh, we know 'THAT' look too.

"Ah, is it pool time yet, guys?"

With the keen eye, agility, and determination that matches any good shortstop, Kona Kai was given her command and her afternoon of leaping began. Yes, with a keen eye and quick reactions to rival Jeter himself, Kona was 'all about' her ball.

Just look at that concentration! Wow! And coordination to boot as she goes all out to catch her ball mid-flight, time after time, with few breaks. After undergoing cruciate ligament surgery as a puppy in December 2009, her left knee titanium implants really don't seem to hold her back, other than a slight lag that can only be captured in pictures.

Yes, Kona Kai puts in 100%, not for millions of dollars, but for just self-satisfaction, the praise of "Good girl" from her audience, and, of course, the occasional Scooby Snack at break time [Adult Swim]. Just look at her form.

Form? Did I say form? Yup, even Jeter botches one now and then. As for Kona, she shakes it off (literally) and swims over to fetch her ball and sets up for another one.

Speedbrakes required!

What grace, huh? :) OOPS! A little misjudged on that one, but she definitely gave it an all-out effort and wanted it badly. I think the judges deducted a few points for form, but you have to give her credit for focus and determination. The tongue says it all.

So, how long does this go on, you may ask? Jeez...For---EVERRRRRR....

Tiring her out can be a challenge. It's usually only at the command of "All Pau" does she finally hang up the cleats, so to speak, and take a breather. But when she's pau, she's back to her spot and will definitely sleep well in the evening.

Game, set, and match!

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel

and

First Officer Kona Kai Waikoloa

Fresh Italian Saturday Night

Four days of flying ended late Saturday as Hurricane Irene began to hit the Eastern seaboard. With the cookbook and Hawaiian Airlines 'Flavors Take Flight' contest in full swing, I came home to 2 wonderful cookbook additions, homemade by Dawn.

First up was a Yellow & Red Tomato Caprese Salad with a Balsamic Reduction Sauce.

And for the main course she made Spaghetti with Bolognese and Meatballs, topped with shaved Parmesan Cheese.

With bags of sauce ready to be vacuumed sealed and frozen, we'll have plenty to share later with friends or have a quick mean at one of those 'what's it gonna be tonight' times. Dawn has the recipes written and it will be added to the book and maybe posted here later. :)

Oh, and if you haven't voted yet for the contest, please take just a second to 'Vote me up' on the Flavors Take Flight' contest website. Here is the link:

VOTE UP BOBBY MITCHEL

Apparently, each Facebook user can only vote once. Thank you to all who already voted. Unfortunately, I'm still hanging out on page 2 of the main contest page. I'm still trying to make it to page 1, where the majority of the recipes are viewed by the average net surfer.  

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel

A Shadowed Sunrise

Flying up the coast of California can often be a beautiful trip, from the big city atmosphere of Los Angeles in SoCal to the many beautiful mountains in the Pacific Northwest. This day happened to be one of these beautiful days where not a cloud was to be seen from the NorCal's Bay Area all the way to Seattle. Along the way, we were privileged to see the darkness surrounding the pre-sunrise beauty of Mount Shasta, California.

At 14,179 feet, Mt. Shasta stands out alone in the top of Northern California. While often shadowed by her mom, the little known and seldom photographed little son/daughter, "Diet Shasta" lies just beyond the immense shadow (to the left) in my photo above.

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Mother Nature's Beauty over the Rockies

Over the many years of flying I've come across countless reflections of Mother Nature's beauty, but yesterday, just outside of Denver, admidst the quickly brewing afternoon thunderstorms over the Rocky Mountains was this phenomena.

Now look closely...what do you see? At the same altitude of the distant building storm, the bottom of the cloud layer appears as the surface of the ocean with two large jellyfish floating along and the their tentacles dangling below the water's edge. Absolutely stunning!

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Snuggling Support Efforts (Hawaiian Airlines' Flavors Take Flight)

Well, today I was, once again, surprised to find Kona Kai (my FO) and Malu (Bear/Shark Bait) playing together and actually snuggling at times. Dogs and cats are not supposed to do this, right? Oh, well, here's proof...

So I get this idea! I added to the photo the little 'Thumbs Up' icon from the Hawaiian Air recipe contest and imbedded it into the photo and then posted the whole thing onto my Facebook page. 

Then I added the caption as follows:

Kona Kai & Malu look at the little red 'Thumbs Up' that they'd like you to click on in the following link so I can win the Hawaiian Air recipe contest

Click here to vote for Bobby!

Pretty ingenious, huh? I should get votes just for creativity. I looked at some of the recipes on Hawaiian Air's FB page and they flat out suck! I mean, some don't even include pictures and some look as if they were made up while entering the contest. I created this dish just this past weekend and tested on a couple of incredibly tough critics...Dawn and my MIL? There's a gutsy move, right there! So, anyway, with me you get multimedia, Baby! I think my next 'groveling for votes' play will be in the form of a Haiku. :)

I don't normally do this sort of thing, but this looked too easy. I mean, I cook and am writing a cookbook, I'm a photographer, Hawaii is my 'home', and I'm an airline pilot. This whole thing played out perfectly to have my name all over it. Well, except that I'm not a 'Hawaiian Air' pilot...yet...'till we buy them, that is. ;) Oh, yeah, you heard it here first.

So, anyway, I need more votes if I have any chance of winning this contest. I need to at least get into the top 10 because that's the group that the finalists come from and that's the first page that the average FB user sees when he/she visits the contest site. 

As of last night, I was on page 5 with 16 votes. I am now on page 2 with 23 votes and need 34 votes to make page 1, and 36 votes to be in the top 10. The leader right now has 148 votes! Crap! I stay way behind, brah!

So, we'll see what happens in the coming hours and days. Off to my next project.

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Panko Crusted Mango/Pineapple Chutney Chicken Breast w/ Portuguese Sausage

Okay, my first recipe I'm adding to this blog is also my entry into the Hawaiian Airlines, 'Flavors Take Flight' contest. Imagine that! What a coincidence. I made this from scratch for Dawn and my MIL, Marge.

My inspiration? Well, I had a vision of a sushi roll, but cooked and with a local, Hawaiian touch to include local fruits and meat...and a little heat.

So I began with making the Mango/Pineapple Chutney. Saute 2 cubed mangos, 1/2 c. diced pineapple, 1 c. diced red onion, 1/2 c. diced red pepper, 1/8 c. diced fresh Ginger, 1/2 tsp Hunan red chili sauce till soft. Add 4 oz pineapple juice, 2 oz apple cider vinegar, 1/4 c. brown sugar, & 1/2 tsp lemon grass puree. Cook on low heat 30 min. Cool.

Cook & Drain 6 oz chopped portuguese sausage. Some of the bigger pieces were for my First Officer, Kona Kai. You have to take care of the crew, ya know! 

Then pound out 4 chicken breasts, brush with herb mixture: 1 TBS chopped basil, 1 TBS chopped cilantro, 1 TBS chopped parsley. Layer fresh spinach leaves, then sausage. 

Spoon over mango chutney, mozzarella and monterey jack cheese. Roll, then cover in egg wash and dip in panko bread crumbs. 

Broil 10 minutes in oven at 500 degrees, then bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Remove, let cool, slice and serve with white rice.

This is how it came out and it was ONOLICIOUS BRAH!

If you think it looks good too, please vote for me and tell all your friends. Here's the link to the Hawaiian Airlines contest:

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR BOBBY!

Mahalo, and thank you for joining me on this flight this evening and for flying with Bobby Mitchel!

Flavors Take Flight

Flavors Take Flight

First Officer, Kona Kai Waikoloa

Here's Kona Kai, doing one of the many things she loves...diving into the water. Born on 2 December 2006. She's a lover of water and runs non-stop, despite cruciate ligament surgery on her left knee as a puppy, that left her with titanium implants.

She's one smart puppy and aspires to be a Comfort Puppy and be on Animal Planet. She was discovered via some of her YouTube video shenanigans by a Producer, but is waiting for her big break.

Woof!

Aloha!

Welcome aboard Bobby's Mixed Plate. I'm your Captain. Be prepared to enjoy this wonderful flight ahead. We'll encounter photos from above and on the ground, diving the beautiful Hawaiian waters, fantastic culinary creations from around the world, views of unique and beautiful destinations, poetry to inspire and reflect, and, of course activities and fun from my First Officer, Kona Kai Waikoloa (our Chocolate Lab). Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy my blog as you can now move on to the 'Welcome Aboard' tab.


Bobby Mitchel
Pilot, Air Force Veteran, Chef, Photographer, Poet, SCUBA Diver, Travel Guide, and Writer