Ahi Poke in Lettuce Cups

I fell in love with poke in Hawaii. It came with some plate lunches, and I could not get enough!  There are many variations – I love the really spicy stuff with little flecks of nori in it.  However, I made this for a family dinner that included people who have almost no tolerance for spicy food, so I took it in another direction.  The bright flavor of green onions and ginger mingle with the buttery-smooth ahi and the crunch of the iceberg lettuce is a perfect contrast.

1 head iceberg lettuce

3/4 lb sashimi-grade ahi

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, minced

2-4 tsp minced fresh ginger (depending on how much you like ginger!)

pinch sea salt

Pull apart the leaves of lettuce and find the crisp parts that will work well as lettuce cups.

Cut the ahi into 1/2″-3/4″ cubes.  Toss with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, green onions, and ginger.

Cover and refrigerate one hour.

Arrange the lettuce on serving trays and scoop a few cubes of fish into each.

Hawaii: Seared Ahi With Pineapple Salsa

We are in Hawaii! That means beautiful sunsets, lounging monk seals, and great ingredients to cook with!
We spent our first day getting settled into our condo on Poipu beach in Kauai, and headed to the grocery store, where we found some beautiful ahi steaks and fresh pineapple.  
about 2 pounds of ahi steaks (count on 1/4 – 1/3 pound per person)

1/2 fresh pineapple

1/2 cucumber, seeded 

1/2 red onion, diced, soaked for 20 minutes in cold water, and drained

juice of one lime

a few pinches of salt

To prepare the salsa:

Cut the pineapple into 1/4″ dice.

Cut the cucumber into 1/4″ dice.

Stir the pineapple, cucumber, and red onion together and stir in the lime juice and salt.  Adjust seasoning to taste. Let sit at room temperature so flavors can combine while you prepare the fish.

To prepare the fish:

Heat grill on high for about 10 minutes.  

Cook the steaks about 3 minutes on each side (it will be very red inside – cook a little longer if you want it more fully cooked)

Serve topped with salsa.

Fish in Green Curry Sauce

My mother instilled an envioronmental conscience in me when I was very young and it really effects the way I buy groceries.  For a few weeks, my grocery store only carried oranges from Australia, which is ridiculous because I know for a fact there are oranges growing all over this state.  I didn’t buy them because of the ridiculous amount of pollution caused by transporting the fruit all the way here from Australia.  

I buy local foods when I can, shop in bulk to minimize packaging waste, and look for sustainable fish and seafood.  Which is where this recipe comes in.  I needed just some basic white fish.  I remembered from this handy guide that Atlantic cod and halibut, as well as red snapper were on the avoid list, but as I browsed through the case, the only white fish I didn’t know about was Orange Roughy.  

I made this dinner, which I thoroughly enjoyed, then had an eye-opening chat with my neighbor, who has a broader knowledge of seafood sustainability than I do.  Not only is this fish dangerously high in mercury, it is from Australia, wildly overfished, and takes 20 years to reach sexual maturity, making it very difficult for the population to rebound.  

I consider this a lesson learned, and will not be shopping without my Seafood Watch Guide again!  But for the record, I highly recommend you make this with Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, or US farmed Tilapia.  And print yourself off a guide at the link above so you can shop sustainably as well!

(adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)

about 1 pound of white-fleshed fish fillets

1 small shallot, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tsp butter

2 tsp – 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste (depending on your tastes – it can be very spicy!)

1 tbsp fish sauce

2/3 cup light coconut milk 

chopped cilantro for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 F and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.  

Sprinkle the shallot in the bottom of the pan, then lay the fillets on top.

Spray a piece of foil with nonstick spray and lay it, sprayed side down, on top of the fish.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until a fork inserted into the fillet meets no resistance.

Meanwhile, bring the wine and butter to a simmer and cook until all the alcohol has cooked out. 

Stir in the green curry paste and coconut milk and simmer for about 3 minutes.  Stir in the fish sauce and cook for one minute more.

When the fish is done, pour the curry sauce over it, then garnish with cilantro.