By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Chef Hiroshi Fukui of L'Uraku restaurant creates a dish using
types of produce that could be used in landscaping. He will
demonstrate his recipe at the Foster Garden sale next week.

Local farm products give
fish unique flavor

Star-Bulletin staff

Hiroshi Fukui's recipe for "Panko-ed Moi" begins with farm-raised fish from the Big Island, atop locally grown asparagus and sprouts, crowned with salsa, sauces and garnishes that have their roots in either the North Shore, Maui or Waimanalo.

The key concept here, in case you missed it, is "local."

"Everything is local in this dish," Fukui says. "Except the panko."

At the Foster Garden Fall Plant Sale, Fukui -- chef at L'Uraku -- and Ian Russo of Michel's, will demonstrate cooking with island-grown produce.

By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
In classic Japanese preparation, yuanyaki, or fish in a yuzu
lime marinade, would be grilled. Here it is
coated in panko and fried.

"Anytime I can get it locally, I'll switch," Fukui says.

"The products are getting much better, much fresher. We're looking always for something new."

Unfortunately, what's available to chefs isn't always that easy to get for the rest of us. To pull off Fukui's elaborate panko-crusted moi you may need to make substitutions.

He suggests a mild-flavored sprout such as soy bean or bean sprouts in place of pea sprouts and green onion (not regular chives, they're too strong) for the onion chives.

To replace yuzu, which is very difficult to find, try lemon or common lime or even orange. If using regular limes, decrease the amount in all instances by half. In place of Hauula tomato, use the best quality tomato you can get. If moi is unavailable, try another fatty fish such as opah or ono.

'PANKO-ED' MOI WITH YUZU AIOLI

4 2-ounce fillets of moi
Canola oil for frying
12 thin asparagus stalks, in thirds
2 cups pea sprouts, in 2-inch pieces

Marinade:
3 ounces water
1 ounce light soy sauce
1 ounce sake
1/2 ounce sugar
3 1/4-inch slices yuzu

Batter:
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons panko
1 egg, beaten

Aioli
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon yuzu lime juice
1-1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed with salt
Zest of 1/2 yuzu
Salt and pepper to taste

Onion Chive Oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons onion chives
1 clove garlic

Salsa
1 Hauula tomato, seeded
1/4 Maui onion, diced
Kernels from 1/2 ear of raw Kahuku corn
1 ounce rice vinegar
3 ounces olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt to taste

Combine marinade ingredients and marinate fish overnight.

To prepare fish, combine four and panko. Dip fish in egg wash, then dredge in batter. Cook fillets in hot oil until golden; remove and drain.

Blanch asparagus, then saute with sprouts, using a small amount of sake to deglaze the pan.

To make aioli: Combine egg, lime juice, oil and garlic in a blender and blend until emulsified. Stir in zest, salt and pepper.

To make oil: Combine ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Add salt to taste.

To make salsa, combine ingredients. Serve immediately as vinegar will soften the vegetables.

To assemble dish. Divide asparagus-sprout saute among four plates. Top with fillet, then with salsa. Dot each plate with 1 tablespoon aioli and 1 teaspoon Onion Chive Oil. Refrigerate remaining aioli and oil up to 4 days. Garnish with black sesame seeds and slivered shiso (chiso) leaves. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving (without added salt or garnish): 630 calories, 49 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium.*

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