Dad's Perfect Mai Tai

Ah,…the Mai Tai. The name itself brings up images of the beach, our home back in Hawaii, Waikiki, Luaus, Hula Dancers, and the **FREE** Mai Tai sign on the advertisements. Well, that's what it does for most people, but the idea of a Mai Tai always brings up memories of my Dad, for he spent time in perfecting his own signature Mai Tai which he often served to friends and family that visited or attended a party at our home while I was growing up in the islands. Take a look at this beauty, brah? Onolicious, huh? Yeah, you could almost feel the coolness and flavorful yumminess. Go ahead, lick the screen. :)

So, over the years, I've had so many friends ask me for the recipe. I finally made a nice copy of it and yes, it's going into the cookbook that we are writing. I mean, seriously, I would not leave this baby out! I've had many different Mai Tais over the years and I may be biased, but my Dad's got a winner here and he was very proud of it. It's all about the ingredients and the mix.

From the pre-made Mai Tai that comes already mixed in the bottle you can get at Trader Joe's or Costco to the signature Mai Tai you may get at a quality restaurant, there is quite a difference in taste, flavor, and how you're going to feel the next day if you have too many.

At our wedding rehearsal dinner in Waikoloa on the Big Island, we had a free-flowing Mai Tai waterfall which someone, who shall remain nameless, had quite a bit of and didn't know it had alcohol in it. He thought it was juice and yummy juice at that too. Oops! Now that was funny.

I can also remember when I was flying in the military and we were often 'put up' at the Outrigger(s) in Waikiki. I'd usually hear from members of my crew, "Score, now we can go across the street and get 99 cent Mai Tais!" To which I'd usually reply, "Yeah, right, how 'bout we just stay here and drink rubbing alcohol, because that's what they taste like? I'm mean, you're going to get what you pay for, right? They were n..a..s..t..y..!!, and I'm sure still are.

With this recipe below, you have to use quality ingredients. Quality liquor, fresh fruit, and nectar, not juice for the guava. This is the way my Dad made it and he took the time to do it right. Yeah, I know…perfectionist. Wow, it's a good thing I didn't get that trait passed down to me, huh?

So, have I changed the recipe at all to perfect it? ;) Yup! Not that there's much to do, but I did add my twist to it in the notes and here they are:

• Make ice cubes out of the Mai Tai mix and use them instead or in addition to the regular ice cubes. A good Mai Tai should take you awhile to finish. It's not a shot glass and can certainly pack a punch. You might say it creeps up on you. I always disliked the watered down Mai Tai when the ice melted, so with this idea, you will just get a little more juice and not a watered down drink. Remember though, that these juice cubes will melt faster that regular ice, especially if any of your ingredients are warm. It's best to use regular ice and maybe a couple 'juice' cubes for aesthetics.
• Infuse the pineapple chunks in either the 151 rum or the Myer's Dark Rum for a few minutes. Why? Come on, now….WOW! Ah, yummy! Biting into an infused cool piece of pineapple? Hello???

Yup, that's all I did to change it up a bit.

One other quick story. So, my parents used to entertain a lot when I was growing up. Yup, Mai Tais were often on the menu. I would always ask for one since they were a hit, but was denied for obvious reasons. I was a kid…I didn't know any better. I remember one time, I was made and given a 'virgin' Mai Tai with the juice and fruit. It came as a surprise and I didn't know about it either. It was put on the stairs as I was called down to get "something" and, yup, I didn't see it and I stepped right into it and fell down the stairs. …Didn't go over well, if you get my drift. LOL, I guess…but not so much for me at the time.

And yes, we take the recipe on vacation with us to this day. We often go back home to the islands and one of our first stops is usually the Costco and the liquor store. We get everything we need for our stay as we are not there to go shopping and be tourists, but rather diving, hiking, chillaxin', swimming, etc. It's often that the bellmen laugh when we check-in and they load up the cart with out dive gear, photography equipment, fruit, food, and drink. They'd say, "Wow, you guys having one party, eh?" Yes, that's exactly what it looks like. "Nope, just the two of us coming back home to relax, brah." 

Here's a photo of our recent trip to Yosemite and the Mai Tais we made as we chilled just outside our cabin room on the Merced River at the Ahwahnee Hotel. You don't have to be in Hawaii to have a good Mai Tai, right? Yeah, we don't have a lot of Mai Tais because that's a lot of sugar, but it sure does take the edge off and brings back memories of home for both of us.

Okay, you listened to be talk story long enough now, huh? Well, you either did or you jumped all the way down here because, yes, it is finally recipe time! A give to you my Dad's Mai Tai recipe that he sought to perfect and share with friends and family. He was proud of it and always loved to make people smile and be happy. To this day, every time I see a Mai Tai, I think of him. He's been gone for quite a while now, but I think of him often and share a bit of his memory on almost every vacation we take. Some of you who read this knew my Dad and some of you were even treated to a Mai Tai (or two) at our home. It's not a difficult recipe, and probably one of hundreds on the internet, but it's all about the quality of ingredients, care in the making, and luv that goes into it. Here's to you Dad…Cheers!

Well, I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think. Just remember, use quality ingredients and don't buy 99 cent Mai Tais in Waikiki. Like these pineapples, for instance. Pa..lease don't use canned pineapple.

A.D.D. time…"There are 6 lemons. I asked for 12. Baby wanted 12 lemons." Yeah, I know. Sorry, but it just came to my mind. If you don't "get it" don't worry about it. Anyway, these are some onolicious looking pineapples, huh?

That's it. I hope enjoyed my short stories and I hope you enjoy your Mai Tai. And, please, when you visit us, feel free to ask for one; I'd luv to make one for you. But, let me know ahead of time for I refuse to not use quality ingredients. I gotsta go shopping first, brah!

Mahalo for imbibing with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Sunset Over Mount Rainier

I often say, "What a beautiful world we live in," but it's moments and sights like this that still to this day make me stop and really feel what is right before my very eyes. Over the years I've had the privilege to step foot on every continent, visit dozens and dozens of countries, meet people from all over the world, and swim in every ocean, but even today I still am in awe at what a beautiful world we live in and am amazed at the many creations we have before us.

I feel lucky that through my photography, poetry, and writings I'm able to share what I see and feel with everyone. It's often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but with me you get the story too, poetic or not. ;) It's just my inspiration and I want to share it with everyone I can. Okay, back on track now...

Yes, the sun sets every day over Mount Rainier and I've seen it probably hundreds of times since I lived in Seattle for a couple years back in college (Go Dawgs!), but look at this! Wow, what majesty as the sun sets over her on a beautiful night with the low, wispy clouds around the base of the mountain.

Spectacular and just breathtaking. Sometimes I wish people around the world would spend more time and effort seeing, touching, feeling, and experiencing than talking, fighting, etc. Oh, well, that's just me.  I guess that's why I can enjoy a day at the beach with my feet in the sand and water and just "be" with it, for hours. So, I hope you can spend a little time with this photo and try to imagine being there. Maybe next time when you're flying into Seattle, catch the later flight and get a window seat, yes?

Oh, one last thing. And just think, Bigfoot is down there somewhere looking up and probably saying/feeling the exact same thing! ;) Yeah, but he/she can't fly! (that we know of). I'm sure Bigfoot would, no doubt, easily slip past the wonderful TSA with no problem at all.

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Taking It Down a Notch in Yosemite Valley

There are a few places in the world where you can actually feel your blood pressure drop and the stress and worries of the world just fall away for awhile.

This is one of those places. Standing in the cool, fresh, crystal clear running waters of the Merced River just outside our beautiful cabin at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley is just absolutely stunning as I look up at the majestic beauty of Half Dome.

With almost absolute silence, all you hear is the flowing water over the rocks in the river, the wind blowing through the great redwoods and the occasional chirp or bark of the many squirrels that play together by the river's edge.

Enjoy this photo for awhile as I will have more later about our wonderful trip to Yosemite Valley. Enlarge the picture, take a deep breath, and re……lax.

Mahalo for chillaxin' with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Mother Nature's Fury

One often hears that planes and flights are delayed due to weather. True. But, in today's age, the electronic device wielding passenger often says, "Hey, I just checked the weather there and it's beautiful!"

So we smile and say, "Yes, we know that too, but it's the weather between here and there that is causing the problem."

What we'd like to say is more like, "Yup, I've been doing this for 30 years. How 'bout you give me your work address and I'll be there tomorrow to tell you how to do your job? Until then, why don't you sit don't and have a drink and some peanuts and let me do mine?"

So, it's a pilot's job to avoid the big storms, because, yes, they can indeed cause some serious damage. Now that's a whole other topic, but let me talk about the storms just for a bit. Storms and what Mother Nature creates are amazing…amazingly beautiful and amazingly dangerous. Beautiful, powerful, yet mystically dangerous…damn that's sexy. Oh, I luv a good storm…from the ground or from the distance in the air.

I mean, check out this bolt of lightening thrown from this huge, 50,000+ foot high thunderstorm.

Pretty awesome, huh? And when flying at night, watching the storms develop, dissipate, and produce tremendous light shows within is absolutely mesmerizing. So, without spending too much time talking about a storm, because we all know what they are, feast upon this video of a powerful thunderstorm over the Southeastern United States.

And to make it even more beautiful and powerful, it's accompanied by Adele's amazing pipes sounding out Fire and Rain. Wow, ya gotta luv a woman with a great voice :) I do

And here is a YouTube link to the same video:

Mother Nature's Fury

Well, how was that? Pretty dang cool, huh? Maybe next time I can get a clearer, better picture, but sights like this don't come often. And a shout out to my buddy, Kevin, for helping capture video.

Mahalo for Storm Chasing with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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Lizard Stalking With "Knob"

Okay, I was bored and had just returned from a trip. I was tired beyond belief, especially after the 2 hour drive back home from the airport at 4AM.

So, "There I was…", as the famous pilot saying goes, napping on the bed in the afternoon when I opened an eye to see Kona Kai in deep thought by the back doors of the bedroom. Yup, deep Lizard stalking thought!

You see, Kona Kai luvs tennis balls and lizards. Yup, as a Chocolate Lab, she is not interested in birds, but rather the yellow tennis ball, squirrels, and lizards. So, there I was napping and opened my eyes to see her fixated on stalking lizards from the bedroom French doors…totally mesmerized and fixated on one thing, whatever lizard was sneaking around outside. :)

So naturally, out came the iPhone and I had to film this, as my video camera was not nearby and it would have disturbed her anyway. Here is what I captured and made into a quick movie in a matter of minutes. I know it's pretty avant-garde and a bit different but it's funny.

And, by the way, why the "Knob" title? Well, when we first got Kona Kai, we would text each other about her 'doings' but when we'd type in the word "Kona" into the text message body, the phone's spell checker would change it  to "Knob" before we'd catch it. So, it then became one of her nicknames. Plus, she has a cute little knob on top of her boney little head :)

Here's the video:

Mahalo for napping with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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St. Elmo's Fire - Do You Believe?

What's the first thing that come's to your mind when you see the word's St. Elmo's Fire? The movie? Yeah, that's what I'm guessing. Oh, I'm not too sure you thought,

"A weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field in the atmosphere." 

Am I right? Well, my brother, David, might have thought that, but, then again, he's a Physicist, and I had to spell check 'Physicist' before I finished this sentence. Actually, I'm guessing he thought of the movie too since it's a good movie with some good music and he's a music lover.

Honestly, even though the movie stars members of the 'Brat Pack," it's definitely no Breakfast Club, which is one of my all-time favorites. Well, look at that! Squirrel!

Okay, back on point. St. Elmo's Fire…What is it? In a nutshell, it's freakin' cool, that's what! From a pilot's point of view, it's basically static electricity (purple lightening bolts) that dance across our windscreen when we fly through the clouds at night under certain weather and temperature conditions. Ya know, like the quote above stated.

Here, take a look…

Pretty cool, huh? And on this night, we really didn't have a lot of "Fire" on the windscreen. I've been flying and have had the entire front windscreen filled from side to side with hundreds of dancing lightening bolts. Believe me, it is quite something to see for yourself.

It can also be viewed on YouTube at: St. Elmo's Fire

And while you ponder that video, ponder this:

Everyone and everything is interconnected in this universe 

Follow the signs, and you will uncover your destiny

Stay pure of heart and you will see the signs

                                                                   - Jeff 

So, with that, I just wanted to share a little something cool from flying that not too many people get to witness. Now, if I can just get a snap of one of those aliens that climb all over our wings during flight and mess with things, that would be cool. ;)

Mahalo for night flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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The Workout

So, as I mentioned on my Aloha welcome page on this blog, I would post activities and fun from my First Officer, Kona Kai Waikoloa (Our Chocolate Lab). Well, as many of you know, Kona Kai luvs the water; she luvs to swim and jump, and most of all, she luvs her tennis ball.

Here she is at Donner Lake diving out for one of her balls.

So, this past weekend Kona Kai anxiously awaited each day with the treat of swimming and jumping in the pool. She has totally free access to the pool, but will not go in at all unless she is given her special command. A secret to everyone, Kona won't even venture into the pool if you throw her ball in or if you're swimming in the pool with her ball. But once she hears her command, she off and running…and jumping.

Here's a video piece on You Tube that I put together with her jumping this past weekend. Titled, The Workout, it depicts Kona's training and workout, while supervised by her training coach, Sharkey. Just click on the link below and enjoy.

The Workout

Yes, she luvs her ball, doesn't she? Here's a couple of other shots of our keen eyed shortstop.

A funny thing though is that she's not a bird or cat chaser, but is very addicted to chasing lizards, I guess, because they're more challenging.

Mahalo for jumping with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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Let's Talk BBQ Chicken, Can we?

Okay, Memorial Day has passed and Summer is upon us. With it comes beaches, sun, SCUBA, surf, sand, family picnics, baseball, biking, hiking, and everything else outdoors that we luv to do when the weather is beautiful. And what did I leave off the list? Yes, Bar-B-Cue! Good 'ole BBQ.

For those of you, and you know who you are, that can't start a good, 'ole fashioned, BBQ fire to save your life, they invented the gas BBQ so everyone can enjoy cooking outdoors. From fish, to steaks, to ribs and yes, good 'ole BBQ chicken. Like this...

And yes, you're going to have to endure a little story and background before we get to the recipe. I mean, come on, it's free and you get to read a great story, learn a bit of background on it, and look at some onolicious pictures to boot! ('cept for the stealer mongoose, of course)

Ah, yes, BBQ chicken, is the staple to any good picnic or BBQ event. And probably the easiest to cook, provided you can start a fire :) All you need is some chicken parts, a bottle of good BBQ sauce, and you're in, right? Yeah, not so much and not so fast there, my 'lil speedy, stealer mongoose!

Yup, that little rascal took off with a Zippy's fried chicken bone on a recent Maui picnic we stopped for at a waterfall on a day hike. Anyway, back to our BBQ'd chicken. I've always searched for the best bottle of BBQ sauce over the years from the quintessential, mass produced staple to the favorites, like Sweet Baby Ray's, or Tony Roma's. We've even branched out and tried the local brand or the unknown person's who was able to produce some and get it on the local market shelves. 

It wasn't until watching one of my favorite Chefs, Tyler Florence, that I realized, "What the heck am I buying sauce in a bottle for?" I mean, really, you can easily make a great sauce with fresh ingredients, to your own liking and it will be amazingly better than that stuff you have in the back of the refrigerator that's half empty and you need the pliers to get the lid off. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? And then you realize you don't have enough, so you 'hele' (That's local kine speaks for hustle or go) on down to the local store to find they don't have the same kind that you already have so you get a different one and mix 'em up brah! Am I right? Yeah, and now you have more leftover sauce from your BBQ day and you put what you have left into one of the empty bottles, after you made sure the lid was washed and cleaned, and back into the far reaches of the fridge it goes to be used when? Next year? Ha! I know you. Okay, enough of that! Don't do that anymore, okay?

So, recently my lovely cooking and life partner, Dawn, dove into making some homemade BBQ sauce for chicken that we were to make on Memorial Day weekend. My job was the homemade coleslaw from scratch, which you can see ended up on the side. Oh, my scratch coleslaw with carrots and fresh pear is yummy, but it's not the star of this show. We also carved up a fresh seedless watermelon and opened a can of Bushes Grillin' Beans, which I've mentioned in an earlier recipe that I posted. They are great beans, I must say, and you can see here, that we added a little Redondo's sausage, a Hawaiian staple, like Spam, to spice them up a little.

She started from scratch and put together this BBQ sauce that is, believe me, out of this world, fantastic! It is sweet, yet spicy, and has a great little kick in the end. She put this together on her own and I can honestly say it is by far, the BEST BBQ sauce I have ever had. It's one for the books, Baby! And here it is for you to try for yourself: 

BAR-B-CUE CHICKEN AND SAUCE

Let chicken pieces soak at least several hours in mixture of buttermilk with a splash of Tapatio hot sauce (our favorite), black pepper, salt, and lemon juice. 

After soaking, let chicken rest and dry on a rack before BBQing.  Use skin on or off, bone in or boned, whatever's your favorite. This sauce will make it transcend the usual and become memorable.

Halfway through grilling, slather prepared, scrumptious BBQ Sauce all over the chicken

The Sauce:

Over low heat in saucepan mix:
1 cup ketchup
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp Tapatio or other hot sauce
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 bunch of fresh thyme - leaves off stem

Stir dry ingredients together before adding to sauce:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 TBS paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder

Let all ingredients incorporate into a rich flavorful sauce. It's sticky finger lickin good.

Now, how does that look? Onolicious, eh, brah? Go ahead, feel free to drool at any time, and please remember to wipe the screen to. :)

So, on this Memorial Day, we had a nice Bar-B-Cue with Dawn's sauce and, my beans (not so hard to make, yeah), coleslaw, and fresh cut, seedless watermelon. Pretty dang Memorial Day weekend kind of BBQ, huh? Also, from our garden, we pulled some beets, red onions, and tomatoes.

We would have harvested the mozzarella, but they weren't ready. :) I boiled the beats in water for about 30 minutes and let them cool in the refrigerator. Then we sliced them and added the red onion and tomatoes. We finished it off with a nice balsamic vinegar dressing and it was….awesome! Take a look. 

So, tomorrow is the last day of May and it's also Aloha Friday.  A nice beginning of June weekend is upon us, so why not start it off easy with some onolicious Bar-B-Cue chicken? How does it go? Reach down between your legs n' ease the seat back, put on some Friday afternoon driving music, and stop off at your local market and pick-up some supplies for an awesome beginning to the Summer BBQ season.

Ladies n' Gentlemen, start your Bar-B-Cues! Have a great weekend, and let me know what you think of Dawn's BBQ sauce. TGI 'Aloha' F, Baby!

Mahalo for cooking with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Ship? Rock?…Shiprock?

Yes, Shiprock. What is it and where is it? Seriously, I've been flying for 28 years now and it was only recently that I finally put two and two together and found, researched, and photographed the illusive Shiprock. Not like it's as illusive as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, but to actually fly near it on a clear enough day with a good sun angle does take a little luck, if you know what I mean. And having grown up in Hawaii, I never really had the opportunity to see a lot of the US Mainland, so a majority of what I do see from above is new to me and it's beautiful.

Once I started flying commercially, I often heard of Shiprock. I'd hear, "Oh, there's Shiprock" and I'd respond with, "Oh, okay," when I really had no idea what I was looking at but just went along with it to make the Captain feel good. That's what First Officers do, you know. :) Come on now, leaving the beautiful islands of Hawaii for college and traveling the world for over 20 years, Daylight Savings Time (DST) was new to me; it still messes with me, even today.

So, here it is, Shiprock, New Mexico! WooHoo! It is kind of cool looking and really out there in the middle of nowhere.

I always thought, and was actually told a few times (probably by one of those Captains), that it was the mountain in the movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Yeah, not so much. That would be Devils Tower in Wyoming. Now, back to Shiprock.

Shiprock is Navajo for "Winged Rock" or Rock with Wings" and is located in the far Northwest corner of New Mexico, right near the Four Corners area. It rises about 1,583 feet to a peak elevation of 7,177 feet. It's a famous place for New Mexico tourism and is a favorite of photographers. While you can view many photos on the internet of Shiprock, you don't see many like the one I took above. Someday, though, I'll have to get out there and see it up close, but I have a lot more on the bucket list to go through first.

Well, that's Shiprock. I hope you like the photo and if you want to learn more, check it out on the internet at: Shiprock. And yes, I do point it out to my passengers when we're lucky enough to pass near it. I'm sure they see it, unlike those four intersecting lines on the Earth's surface that make the Four Corners area that I tell them about and have them rigorously searching for as we fly by the area. Oh, they're there, you just have to look really hard and concentrate. Hey, at least I'm not pointing out Bigfoot or UFOs, right?

Mahalo for flying with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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Kona Kai Honors Memorial Day

Whether friends, family, or countrymen and women ~~ Let's not forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the freedoms of our great nation. Thank you and God bless.

Mahalo for honoring with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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World Turtle Day!

So, today, May 23rd, is World Turtle Day. Yup, it's an actual day of observance since 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue group, to bring attention to, and bring knowledge of and respect for turtles and tortoises. They want to promote human action to help turtles survive and thrive.

So, with that, Happy Turtle Day and remember to please be kind and respect our friends in the ocean, like the Honu, or Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, above.

Mahalo for Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Bobby's Mixed Plate Hits 3,000!

A big Aloha and thank you to all who visited and return to share in the journey of Bobby's Mixed Plate. My Blog has now been viewed from around the world, as faraway as Australia, Japan, Egypt, the United Kingdom, and, of course, Hawaii. I'm so happy to be able to share something that touches someone's heart, make you stop and think, intrigues, or just gives a reason to smile. From underwater photos, photos from above, and Haikus of inspiration, I've tried to provide a mix of the many beautiful things I hold near and dear in my life. And of course, sharing the plethora of new recipes Dawn and I create, experiment with, or find in the hopes of spreading onoliciousness (another new one!) from the world is also a goal of this Blog.

Last evening, Bobby's Mixed Plate jumped over the '3,000 views' mark with the posting of photos and my Haiku from the Annular Solar Eclipse we witnessed yesterday, 20 May 2012. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

In the coming year, we have at least three dive trips planned back home on Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii, and you can always count on many more views from my office over the world.

And, finally, no Captain would not stop and take moment to thank my editor, sounding board, filter, cooking partner, bestest buddy, dive buddy, life inspiration, and lovely wife, Dawn. Also, no Captain can do it alone and thanks to my First Officer, Kona Kai Waikoloa for her unconditional puppy love and taste tests.

Cheers to a small, yet honorable, milestone and I look forward to the many postings ahead for my friends, old and new, from around the world. I look forward to the launching of Bobby Mitchel Photography's website, continued progress on the book, and hopefully a light to the finality of the cookbook. And remember, on Bobby's Mixed Plate you can join my passenger list, sign-up to follow with e-mail updates, follow posts on Pinterest, or just create a shortcut on your web browser to board and take a trip as often as you like; no assigned seating! ;)

Oh, and try fo' not forget to share Bobby's Mixed Plate wit your friends, eh, brah!

Mahalo for Luvin' Life with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Annular Solar Eclipse Shadow Art, 20 May 2012

Eighteen years in the making and we witnessed the Annular Solar Eclipse today and what a spectacular event it was as Mother Nature again showed her glory for us. Not only were we treated to a late afternoon full solar eclipse, we also watched as shadows spread through the trees and across the backyard, onto various objects and structures we have throughout the yard.

Here is a beautiful display of the shadows as the sun's rays wrapping around the eclipsing moon shined through one of our trees and spread a beautiful pattern across the pillar of our patio.

Sometimes you just have to say, "Wow!"

Mahalo for Shadow Watching with Captain Bobby Mitchel


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Annular Solar Eclipse, 20 May 2012

Mahalo for Sky Gazing with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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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

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