We are now four days into our Kauai vacation. Each evening we have enjoyed a different fresh fish courtesy of two fish markets and the trusty local Costco.
Evening 1: Costco wild Ahi tuna seared on the condo stove with rice. The Ahi was good, not great. Paired with Kim Crawford SB. Went down well after a full day of air travel.
Evening 2: Manchong grilled with local spices served with rice. This fish just blew me away. These were cut into 2" steaks. Amazing flavor and incredibly juicy. A bit pricey, but totally worth it. Paired with Newton chardonnay (all wines courtesy of local Costco)
Evening 3: Opah grilled with local spices served with rice. Accompanied by soft shell crab roll. All purchased at the Hanalei dolphin fish market. Paired with Willakenzie Pinot Gris. Excellent fish, just a notch below the Manchong.
Evening 4: Ono seasoned with garlic/salt grilled and paired with fried rice. Accompanied by spicy tuna roll. Paired with Ferrari Carrano chardonnay. The ono was good, but not at the level of the Opah/Manchong.
Don’t think I’ve ever had so much white wine in one week. When I get back to Wisconsin I’m sure I’ll go crazy with red meat/red wine, but in the meantime I’m really enjoying the Hawaiian fish/white wine pairings.
Todd, You would be in heaven today in Kauai. High surf warnings today and tomorrow on the North Shore of Kauai. Needless to say we fled to smaller waves for snorkelling/boogie boarding kids. We saw some great surfing yesterday on Tunnels beach - daredevils surfing outside the reef and jumping off their boards as the waves crash into the coral. I have serious respect for those guys. We’ll probably go back to tunnels beach and Ke’e beach later in the week for some more snorkelling and beach lounging. For my money they are some of the most beautiful beaches in the US.
Never tried the local stores and cooking my own, but was always amazed in Hawaii how many of the “fresh fish” are Caribbean and how much “maine lobster” was served in the restaurants. When I inquire, I’m told that a lot of the waters and fish are protected on the islands.
It is more than protecting the fish that are indigenous to the Islands. Hawaii is now very progressive in fish farming of their depleting species. They don’t just fish, they promote the continued viability of all their local species.
Actually, albacore from Hawaii (and Fiji) that’s called “Tombo” in markets, sucks. It’s from warm water and the fat content is too low, so it tends to be dry and rubbery. The stuff we get here in July and August has a much higher fat content because of the cold water and is delectable.
On the North shore of Kauai I’ve only seen the shortboarders. I’m always amazed watching them casually jump off their boards as the wave crashes into the reef. I could only imagine what it was like trying that for the first time.
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