Longhi's Classic Recipes
Ahi torino is one of the most popular dishes at Longhi's on
Maui. Sashimi- quality ahi is marinated, then coated in bread
crumbs and maca-damia nuts and pan fried.

Ahh, ahi!

Bringing ahi
to the table

From staff & wire reports

Four ahi preparations follow, including a macadamia nut-laced recipe from the new 172-page "Longhi's -- Recipes and Reflec-tions from Maui's Most Opinionat-ed Restauranteur."

The last pasta and fresh ahi dish is a standard Sicilian preparation. Small chunks of fresh tuna are paired with a quick sauce of tomatoes and olive paste. The pasta is then tossed with the sauce just long enough to absorb the flavor.

Ahi carpaccio

"On the Rise: New Traditions -- Cooking With Russell Siu," by Russell Siu

6 fillets (1-1/2 ounces each) ahi, grade 1 or 2
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon nori (dried seaweed), finely julienned

Wasabi aioli sauce:
1 egg yolk
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon wasabi
1 cup salad oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Place 1 piece of ahi between sheets of plastic food wrap. Pound with a food hammer or a frying pan until ahi is thin (about 1/4-inch thick). Remove 1 side of wrap and place the ahi fish-side-down on plate. Remove wrapper and rub with extra virgin olive oil. Repeat with remaining ahi pieces.

To prepare aioli, machine process egg, garlic and wasabi. Slowly drizzle in salad oil until mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle aioli over ahi. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onion and nori. Makes 6 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving with 1-1/2 tablespoons sauce: 270 calories, 25 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium. Per 1-1/2 tablespoons sauce only: 200 calories, 23 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium.*

Ahi torino

"Longhi's -- Recipes and Reflections from
Maui's Most Opinionated Restauranteur"
by Bob Longhi and Gabrielle Longhi

2 pounds sashimi-quality ahi, cut into 4 half-inch-thick fillets
1 loaf French or Italian bread, or 2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 lemon, cut into 8 pieces
4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Marinade:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Make the marinade by mixing the olive oil, garlic and basil. Add the ahi and marinate for 2 to 12 hours. Keep refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you are making your own bread crumbs, cut bread into 1-1/2-inch slices and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown and dry. Place macadamia nuts on a tray and toast in the oven until brown, being careful not to burn. Put bread in a food processor and process until fine. Mix 2 cups crumbs with the nuts.

Remove ahi from marinade. Lightly beat eggs. Dip fish in egg and roll in bread crumbs. Pat the bread crumbs firmly into the fish, making sure all sides are coated.

In a pan over medium heat, add butter; when it foams, add the fish. Do not crowd the pan -- cook the fish in 2 batches if necessary. Cook fish until golden brown on 1 side; add more butter if needed and turn fish. When the fish is done, squeeze 1 lemon wedge over each piece and remove from pan. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a lemon wedge. Makes 4 (8-ounce) or 5 (6-1/2-ounce) servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 8-ounce serving: 790 calories, 45 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 225 mg cholesterol, 520 mg sodium. Per 6-1/2-ounce serving: 640 calories, 36 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 180 mg cholesterol, 420 mg sodium.*

Grilled ahi steaks with cilantro pesto

Mark Bittman's "Fish: The Compete
Guide to Buying and Cooking"

1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves (fresh coriander; substitute Italian flat-leaf parsley for half the cilantro if you like)
2 medium-size cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lime
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large, fresh tuna steak, 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick, about 2 pounds

Place cilantro and garlic on cutting board and sprinkle with salt. Using an 8- or 10-inch chef's knife, chop cilantro and garlic together until very fine (you can machine process, but it's not much easier and you run the risk of getting a puree). Mix this in a bowl with olive oil, lime juice and pepper.

Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife -- such as a boning or fillet knife -- make a small incision halfway across any edge of the tuna steak.

Insert the knife almost to the opposite edge of the steak, then move it back and forth; the pocket need not be thick, but it should cover most of the steak.

Be careful not to cut through the top, bottom or opposite edge of the tuna, and try to keep the incision small.

Stuff pocket with about 3/4 of "pesto," leaving behind most of the oil and some of the solids. If pocket opening is small, seal with a toothpick; if it's more than 1 or 2 inches wide, use a couple of skewers.

Marinate fish in remaining pesto while you preheat a gas grill or start a charcoal fire; it should be quite hot.

Grill tuna, turning once, about 6 minutes per inch of thickness (if your steak is 2 inches thick, for example, turn it after 6 minutes and cook 6 minutes more).

Serve, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Makes 4 (8-ounce) or 5 (6-1/2-ounce) servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 8-ounce serving: 490 calories, 29 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 1,150 mg sodium. Per 6-1/2-ounce serving: 390 calories, 23 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 80 mg cholesterol, 920 mg sodium.*

Spaghetti with fresh ahi

"Italy Al Dente" by Biba Caggiano

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, peeled and lightly crushed
1 pound ahi, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon black olive paste (available at kitchen specialty shops, such as Williams-Sonoma)
4 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes with their juice, put through a food mill to remove seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 pound spaghetti

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden on all sides. Discard garlic and add tuna. Stir 1 minute or so, until tuna loses raw color. Add wine and cook until it is reduced about by half, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop up tuna and set aside on a plate.

Stir olive paste in the remaining wine in skillet, then add tomatoes. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper, and bring sauce to a fast simmer.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer sauce, uncovered, 5 to 6 minutes. Return tuna to skillet, stir a few times, then add parsley and turn heat off under skillet.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, then drain and mix with sauce. Toss everything quickly over low heat until pasta and sauce are well combined.

Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 400 calories, 11 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium. *