Revisit: Fresh Catch Kaimuki

Over the years I've found that my love for cooking extends far beyond the kitchen and has taken root in other areas of my life. As a fisherman born and raised here in Hawaii I have had the privilege of catching a wide variety of tasty fish. Just like hunters who track a specific type of game, local fishermen must know where to go to catch specific types of fish. And just like hunting, fishing also has seasons allowing us only a short amount of time to catch fish that we otherwise would not be able to take home. Of course most of the time we come home empty handed which is why it is called "fishing" and not "catching".

You're probably asking yourself what I'm trying to convey at this point. My point is that when a chef looks to the source of their dish they find valuable information about what they are cooking that might have otherwise have been overlooked.

Case in point: the moana (many bar goatfish). The moana's favorite source of food is rock and sand crabs. This gives the moana a sweet crab-like taste that many local fishermen enjoy. As a chef you would want to take advantage of this knowledge. I personally would either stuff the fish with a crab mixture then bake and top with an aioli to be torched at the last minute or steam the fish and serve in a crab stock based miso soup. As a chef you want to know everything you can about your product and as a fisherman, you have a distinct advantage when it comes to seafood.

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Yesterday I decided to check back in on Fresh Catch to see what has changed.

I was relieved to find that my favorite styles of poke where still on the menu and that there were new creations that have been added to their line-up. If I were to suggest a handful of styles I would have to suggest the smoked tako, spicy hawaiian (limu ahi in spicy sauce), wasabi ahi and fireball ahi (very spicy. go with the less spicy stuff if you dont think you can handle). If you are feeling adventurous, there are a number of hard to find types of poke including korean-style top shell poke and spicy salmon depending on the day.

Although it was the poke that brought me back to Fresh Catch Kaimuki, it was the ahi katsu that will be bringing me back in the future. Although it isn't the seared sushi grade ahi katsu you might find "up the street" that will put a hole in your wallet (enough speculation on where I'm talking about) it is VERY good and is a large portion for only $10.25. The ahi katsu is topped with an aioli and a generous amount of furikake and would have to be one of the better fish dishes I have had in awhile (I've been trying to eat fish at least every other day for a month now). Now that I know that their ahi katsu is good I will have to come back to try more of their cooked menu.

For rating and full review click here.

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