DENNIS ODA / DODA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM Guy Tamashiro grabbed some akule while Carrie Brownstein picked up some opelu at Tamashiro Market last week. Both fish rank high on the Audubon scale.

Pan-fried or broiled in foil,
scad pleases local palates

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Star-Bulletin staff

Opelu and akule -- mackerel scad and bigeye scad -- are traditionally eaten whole and fried. Being rather small, they can be time-consuming and unrewarding to fillet.

But experiment a bit and you'll find some new ways of serving these economical fish. Filleting is not that difficult, given a good, sharp knife that will cut cleanly close to the bone. Leave the skin on if you don't want to risk cutting away more meat, or try gently pulling the skin off (this works especially well with opelu).

Pan-fry fillets lightly dusted in flour. They'll cook to a golden brown in a minute or so.

Or, try a Japanese tataki, similar to Hawaiian poke: Fillet fish and cut into small pieces. Mix in some finely grated ginger; lomi (massage) it into the fish. Then mix in chopped green onion and a little soy sauce.

Proportions are pretty much to taste, depending on how much bite from the ginger makes you happy.

Here are a couple of more exacting recipes from "Fish Dishes of the Pacific from the Fishwife" by Shirley Rizzuto (Hawaii Fishing News, 1986).

Foil-broiled Akule

4 akule fillets, about 1/3 pound each
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake or white wine
4 large dry shiitake mushrooms (soaked in water until soft)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 stalk green onion, in 2-inch pieces
8 thin slices ginger

Marinate fish in soy sauce and sake 20 minutes; turn once.

Discard stems of mushrooms and halve. Cut 4 pieces of foil large enough to enclose a single fillet. Brush with oil. Place each fillet on a piece of foil. Top with green onion, mushroom halves and ginger. Wrap and seal.

Broil over coals 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is done; or bake at 450 degrees for same amount of time. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 290 calories, 14 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 850 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 31 g protein.*

Steamed Opelu Skillet

2 onions, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 green peppers, seeded, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fish or chicken broth
4 tablespoons white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds opelu, cleaned, with head, tail and fins removed

Place vegetables and garlic in the bottom of a skillet large enough to hold the fish. Pour liquids over them; salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are almost done. Add more broth if necessary.

Place fish on top of vegetables. Cover and steam gently 5 to 7 minutes or until fish is done. Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt to taste): 480 calories, 16 g total fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 43 g protein.*

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