12/30 - Stranded on a not-so-deserted island. Very looong report.

too bad about your gear,it has happened to me. the evil batu makes even your most sane friends crazy .cool pics,makes me miss home too. happy new fuzz

Awesome fishing/hunting and great report!  Ahh the warm water, I can feel it now.

Epic report (short story)! Wish I was with you!

CHEERS!

Awesome report man!   Love a good story, and a great ending to boot!

nice long report for a rainy day, thanks! love the details like the puff of dust and grunting...

Hey Fuzz, how do you cook the bonefish - I am looking for a recipe different than the "carp a la cardboard " . My understanding is the texture of the fish is similar to our migrating shad's.
Awesome report - Thanks !

Arggggghhhh... I hate typing up a book... clicking submit... then having the server poof everything... 


Okay, let me try this again:

There are 3 main ways of cooking 'oio in the islands.  I'll give a brief explanation of all 3.


Preparation
Regardless of final cooking method, the initial preparation of 'oio is the same.  The meat is extracted from the oio in a rather unceremonious method.  The way I was taught to do it is to create very roughly charterboat-style fillets, then use a spoon or two to scrape the meat off the fillets and bones.  Going with the grain of the fish, the meat is piled in a large bowl.  There, I use 2 knives to criss-cross like scissors.  Any bones hidden will pop up and be easily extracted.  The leftover bones/skin are sometimes used for crabbing bait. 

Another method is to cut a slit a generous chunk of the tail off... then get a rolling pin and literally smoosh the flesh out like a tube of toothpaste.  This method requires aging the fish a bit and/or freezing it so the flesh smooshes out easier.  A third method is to cut the fish in strips, then scrape each strip individually.  Whatever method you employ, the end result should be a bowl of fish meat.  Perfect!



Method 1 - lomi 'oio
The first method of preparing 'oio is the most traditional - lomi 'oio.  This is a classic raw dish using the fish in it's extracted state.  "Lomi" basically means to massage, and that's what you're doing to this fish.  With the bowl of recently scraped fish flesh, we add the following ingredients, massaging them in till they are dispersed consistently througout the dish:

• Salt (kosher or hawaiian)
• Inamona (roasted crushed prepared kukui nuts)
• Limu kohu (specific type of seaweed)
• Round onion, diced
• Green onions, chopped
• Red chili pepper flakes
• Dried 'opae (tiny shrimp)
• -or- Diced dried aku (skipjack tuna)
• Ice or cold water

At this point, I do a teaspoon check - take a scoop & there should be a small piece of green onion & a small piece of onion in there.  If not, probably need a bit more.  Taste, and adjust seasoning accordingly.  If it's too salty, no problem.  The final step is to add ice cubes or cold water to thin the 'oio out till it's a nice consistency.  It shouldn't be too dense or too runny, but just right.  Taste again, adjust seasoning till it's just the way you like it, & you're done!  This is a local dish that you won't see on any menus, but a lot of my friends still enjoy it on a regular basis.  The ingredients used vary widely as do the concentrations.  I do it the smartest way - I give the fish away, then come back when it's ready to eat. 



Method 2 - 'oio fishcake (or fishballs)
The second method of cooking 'oio is the most popular - fishcake.  Take and combine the following ingredients (proportions vary according to the consistency and taste you are trying to achieve.

• 'Oio meat
• Corn starch (could use other binding agents)
• Water or chicken stock
• Salt/pepper
• Sugar (just a bit)
• Vegetables (carrots, gobo, green onions, onions, etc.)

Once combined, take balls of the mixture, flatten them a bit, then place them into a pan with hot hot oil.  Adjusting the ingredients a bit, you may chose to bake the fishcake instead.  Another popular alternative is to make small flavored fish balls.  These balls(size of a large round grape) may either be deep fried or poached.  Once cooked, they may be used in a myriad of different dishes as the main player or accents.  They may also be frozen, then brought out for soups, etc.



Method 3 - 'oio patties
The third method of cooking 'oio is to simply make fish patties.  This method is by far the most varied.  I've seen a wide range of binding agents used, including bread crumbs, panko, ritz crackers, saltines, etc.  The ingredients inside vary widely as well - here is a sample template:

• 'Oio meat
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Egg
• Binder (bread crumbs, panko, ritz, etc.)
• Meat (Lup cheong, char siu, shrimp, crab, etc.)
• Vegetables (Green onion, water chestnuts, onions, etc.)
• Other seasonings (oyster sauce, soy sauce, etc.)

Once combined, form into patties.  Heat oil in skillet and sear patties.  You may chose to fry as-is or bread it with something like panko.  Either way, be careful not to overcook - as with all fish dishes, overcooking leads to dry and/or rubbery fish.




One of the main advantages of this style of cooking is really the versatility.  Kids love it too - you can give them each a little bowl of fish and have them make their own fish patty recipe.  Certain fish lend themselves to it more(only 3 main fish used for this style of cooking in hawaii - oio, awa, awa'awa).  I've ever eaten shad... or even seen one in person, but it might be worth a shot. 

thats one hell of a day harold, nice report and beauty of an ulua, sweet head shot and that sucka.  

nice to start the year with fish in the pot...I heard the ulua is really good sashimi style....don't know because I've never tried it but someday it's bound to happen....
allan

nice to start the year with fish in the pot...I heard the ulua is really good sashimi style....don't know because I've never tried it but someday it's bound to happen....
allan

I like it, but I also try to stick to the smallest ulua or biggest papio(ulua under 10#).  The smaller fish seem better quality and texture.