By Request

BETTY SHIMABUKURO

Wednesday, October 24, 2001

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COURTESTY MUTUAL PUBLISHING
Sam Choy's Lomilomi Salmon with a Twist adds
fried opae and ogo to the traditional mix.

Lomi lomi salmon
done 3 ways

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Satisfying that craving for luau foods can be daunting for the expatriate. Poi is hard to come by, not to mention luau leaves for the lau lau and ogo for the poke.

But at least, just about anywhere you go, you can rustle up some lomi lomi salmon. Rock salt, onions, tomatoes and a modest-sized chunk of fish are all you need.

That and the know-how, of course. Ex-Hawaii resident Frank Morgan loves lomi, but hasn't been able to make it. "I lost my Hawaiian cookbook years ago," he said.

Not much to it, really, but answering his request allows me to put in a plug for two new cookbooks put out by Oahu high schools. Both include dishes that play on the flavors of lomi.

>> "Dragon Cookbook," from Mililani High School, is a fund-raiser for the school's Project Graduation, an alcohol-free celebration for seniors on graduation night.

It includes recipes from students, their teachers, friends and relatives, as well as alumni and some celebrity chefs. TV personality Tiny Tadani, for example, wrote up a recipe for Sugar Pops drenched in chocolate milk (Tiny's Choco-Soggy Breakfast), but the rest of the recipes are for real, coming from the likes of chefs Roy Yamaguchi, D.K. Kodama, Jackie Lau and Philippe Padovani. The governor and the police chief also contributed.

"Dragon Cookbook" sells for $12 ($4 more with postage) and will be sold at craft fairs beginning at Leeward Community College on Saturday. Or call 623-6553 or email Projgrad2002 cookbook@hawaii.rr.com.

>> "Creating a Culinary Legacy," from Farrington High School, is being sold partly to raise scholarship funds, but the project was conceived to teach students marketing, product development and culinary skills.

Along with in-school sources, the cookbook taps Farrington alumni, including many now working in restaurant kitchens, as well as Sen. Donna Mercado Kim (Lemon Muffins) and Emme Tomimbang (Pork Guisantes). Farrington has a well-established Food Service Program that prepares students for the industry, which was also a rich source for the cookbook.

Copies sell for $10 and can be picked up at the school ($4 more for postage). Call 832-3576 for details.

Before we get to the school cookbook recipes, here is a basic lomi recipe for Morgan, although it's been fancied up a bit by chef Sam Choy:

Lomilomi Salmon with a Twist

"The Choy of Cooking" by Sam Choy and Kekoa Catherine Enomoto (Mutual Publishing, 1996)

1 pound salted salmon (see note)
2 onions, diced
3 ripe medium-size tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced green onions
>> Optional garnish:
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 cup dried shrimp
2 cups fresh ogo (seaweed)

Soak salmon in water overnight in refrigerator.

Rinse off excess salt, discard skin and bones and dice. Combine with remaining ingredients.

To prepare garnish: Heat oil to 350 to 365 degrees and fry shrimp until crispy; drain on paper towels. Top lomi with fried shrimp and ogo. Serves 12.

Note: Salted salmon is available in supermarkets, but it is easy to make your own. Sprinkle salmon generously with sea salt (or rock or Hawaiian salt). Lomi, or massage, salt into the fish. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Rinse excess salt from fish. Taste, and if it's still too salty, rinse again. Proceed with recipe (skip the first step of soaking the salted fish in water overnight).

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 1/2 cup serving: 110 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 12 g protein.*

Baked Lomi Salmon

"Dragon Cookbook"

12 ounces Portuguese sausage, coarsely chopped
1 3-pound salmon roast
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Sauté sausage lightly or cook in mircowave; drain and set aside.

Fillet salmon lengthwise, leaving skin on. Place in a glass baking dish, skin side down. Sprinkle fillets with garlic salt and spread with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with sausage, tomatoes and finally green onions. Cover dish with foil and bake 45 minutes or until fish is cooked through, removing foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 450 calories, 31 g total fat, 7.5 g saturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 39 g protein*

Keiki Lomi Salmon

"Creating a Culinary Legacy"

30 cherry tomatoes
1 pound canned salmon
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon ice water

Wash tomatoes; cut a thin slice off the top of each one and scoop out the pulp.

Combine pulp, salmon, onions and water; mix well. Stuff salmon mixture into tomato shells and refrigerate. Makes 2-1/2 dozen.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per stuffed whole tomato: 30 calories, 1 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g protein*

Food Stuffs: Morsels

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.