While Big Islanders go crazy over meat, we on Oahu love our fish. Maybe it's because we have a well-managed, sustainable fishery in Honolulu and so have access to a great variety of fresh fish. So far, we've had moi (grilled with salt, pepper, and meyer lemon), ahi (poke with Maui onions, green onions, shoyu, and sambal), and monchong (steamed chinese style with smoked pork from our friend on the Big Island, Hawaiian ginger, scallions, shoyu, and macadamia nut oil). I went to Tamashiro's for the first time to see what my fish options were; I've never seen such local fish variety in one place. Ahi of different grades, all the way up to imported blue fin toro, and reef fish that I didn't even know could be eaten. Next time...this time, it was just ahi and moi, old favorites.
The monchong was at Whole Foods. There were two prices: $11.99/pound for the fillet, $6.99/pound for the whole fish. The whole fish? That one over there sitting in the ice? I asked how many pounds the entire fish was, and the person behind the seafood counter hefted it out of the ice, ran into the back, and returned, cradling it in her arms: 25 pounds, as if announcing the weight of a newborn baby. I had a vision of bringing it home, preparing and carving it like a roast turkey. I went with the fillet.
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