Help me learn to like fish (on Kauai): a hopeful plea

After a lifetime of testing allergic to seafood, I finally got the "all clear." Something about growing out of them. I cannot bring myself to the crustaceans just yet, that's going to take more time. Therefore, I would like to start with fish. I have always liked the idea of fresh fish, simply prepared with lemon and vegetables or whatever one does with it. But my conditioned gag reaction (ahh! poison!) always kicks in whenever I smell it near. I'd like to grow out of it. No - I'm determined to grow out of it.

I have decided that the best way to introduce myself to the gifts of the ocean is on my Xmas trip to Kauai. My thought is that if I'm going to learn to love fish, I don't think I could do much better than an island in the Pacific.

What I ask of you, wise forum (who better to ask), is with what to start? Are there particular fishes found in Hawaii that would make for the best starter for a nervous novice like myself? Any particular preparation? What might give me the confidence and desire to try it a second, third, or tenth time?

And it almost goes without saying, but if you happen to know of a particular place on Kauai that would be a good place to start, I would love to know.

(I wasn't sure which topic would best fit this subject. Pray forgiveness if I posted in the wrong place.)

The one and only time I visited Kauai, 25 long years ago, I had a mahi-mahi melt sandwich that was amazingly good and would also no doubt be a good set of "pescatory training wheels" for you. Do I remember where I had it? Of course not; but it was right on the shore and we watched surfers during our lunch. Anyway, the cheese and the bread and the mayo-based sauce would certainly take off the fishy, potentially gag-inducing odor and flavor of the fish. Plus, even a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, eaten on Kauai, would still be a meal eaten on Kauai.

Though it's fallen victim to hype and over-saturation in trendier restaurants over the past decade a la Chilean Sea Bass (a trend which seems to have faded a bit of late) Ahi, ie, Pacific Yellowfin Tuna, remains a sublime joy when eaten fresh. I first had Ahi in 1993, right at the cusp of the trendiness explosion, in an oceanside seafood restaurant in Encinitas, California. My waiter assured me it had been caught fresh that morning and picked out personally by the chef. Far be it from me to doubt - this remains one of the best pieces of fish I've ever tried - silken, buttery, near steak-like in texture and bursting with sweetness. Ideally, Ahi is eaten raw as sashimi or sushi, but a simple preparation - a light grilling or saute in a simple seasoning (no sauce should be necessary) or perhaps Ahi Tataki (the Japanese method of flash-grilling at high heat, giving a seared outer crust and raw middle) is acceptable as well. In Hawaii, Ahi is also called Shibi - I'm not sure which term is used on Kauai. Anyway, this is truly the filet mignon or prime bone-in ribeye of the ocean, so find Kauai's equivalent of Gene and Georgetti or Peter Luger, get an Ahi (or Shibi) steak and a glass of wine, and savor. Have a good time!
(and, nu, it's Kosher, yet...)

Reb

My wife is quite squeemish when it comes to eating fish, yet a well prepared mahi-mahi filet is among her favorite meals. On our first visit to Maui some 10 years ago, she had a dinner of macadamea encrusted mahi-mahi that she talks about to this day. By all means give that a try while in Hawaii. Also, hungryrabbi's suggestion of Ahi is a good one as well. It's more red meat-like than many fishes when fully cooked...or be brave and get it quickly seared yet still raw on the inside.

I have a young relative who claimed she hated all seafood, so I made it my mission to change her mind. Her favorite foods were french-fries and fried-chicken, so I made her a tempura platter that included fried fish, shrimps, and vegetables.

The thing she said she hated the most about fish was the smell. Fresh fish doesn't have an odor, but I think the thing that made a big difference was the small amount of sesame oil I added to the peanut oil I used for frying the tempura. I also used a mild, non-oily fish (corbina) and a little stronger than usual dipping sauce.

Bottom line, she now adores all kinds of seafood, especially sushi.

So if you like fried food, maybe starting with Japanese tempura-style, something that must be widely available in Hawaii, could be good start to you quest.

Let us know how it goes.

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:I have a young relative who claimed she hated all seafood, so I made it my mission to change her mind. Her favorite foods were french-fries and fried-chicken, so I made her a tempura platter that included fried fish, shrimps, and vegetables...

I think Bill's idea is an excellent one (with a track record of success, it seems). Since your aversion to fish was allergy based, and judging from what I've seen of the bad experiences my son has had with his nut-allergy, I can understand how you find yourself having to overcome what is now a kind of (gag-) reflex to turn away from fish.

The breading and frying of a flakey, white-fleshed fish (which is itself typically mild in flavour and not 'fishy' in the way that most oily fishes are) should cut down any odour which might trigger a negative reflex, and similarly will the coating mask any visual cues that the item in question is fish, again perhaps helping to avoid any reflex.

If that goes well, the next logical step may well be cuts of the more meat-like fish, such as the tuna discussed above by Hungryrabbi or perhaps swordfish, prepared in a simple way but one familiar from the meat world (e.g., grilling with marinating and/or dressing with lemon, garlic, herbs). That might again be a good 'bridge' that will avoid calling up easily a deep-rooted, allergy-conditioned negative response.

Shrimp are perhaps the most accessible form of seafood to those who otherwise don't eat fish and think they would also easily fit into the above strategy: breaded and fried first, then made in ways with familiar, flavourful sauces or grilled with good doses of garlic and lemon or lime...

Now I want to eat fish for breakfast...

Food allergies can be really horrible. I had some as a child which, thank God, I outgrew, but now I sort of suffer along with my son, whose allergy to all tree nuts is about as bad as allergies get.

Good luck exploring the world of seafood. Just be sure to make your first forays in restaurants and shops where the freshness and quality is reliably very, very high. An instance of food poisoning from a bad crab cake or shrimp- or tuna-salad would probably convince your body to ignore your head completely in future attampts to eat fish.

Antonius

Antonius wrote:
Now I want to eat fish for breakfast...

Antonius,

Speaking of fish for breakfast, here is a sure-fire way to ensure a child becomes a life-long fish lover (unless, of course, they are unfortunate enough to have an allergy):

Go camping next to a mountain lake. Wake up at 5AM to fish in a rowboat in the center of the absolutely still lake. Return to camp with a stringer full of rainbow trout. Clean and cook the trout in a pan with butter and salt over a campfire for breakfast. That is my first memory of eating fish. Since then, eating fish has always been a source of pleasure. A great gift we can give our kids is connecting foods with memorable experiences.

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:

Antonius wrote:
Now I want to eat fish for breakfast...

Antonius,

Speaking of fish for breakfast, here is a sure-fire way to ensure a child becomes a life-long fish lover (unless, of course, they are unfortunate enough to have an allergy):

Go camping next to a mountain lake. Wake up at 5AM to fish in a rowboat in the center of the absolutely still lake. Return to camp with a stringer full of rainbow trout. Clean and cook the trout in a pan with butter and salt over a campfire for breakfast. That is my first memory of eating fish. Since then, eating fish has always been a source of pleasure. A great gift we can give our kids is connecting foods with memorable experiences.

Bill/SFNM

Unfortunately, too many kids' experiences are at McDonalds, Starbucks, Burger King, IHOP, Dunkin' Donut's, etc. for these first memorable meals.

I loved my grandmother's cinammon rolls and have many fond memories of breakfast there.

Being a Scandanavian type, my mother would eat pickled herring out of the jar she kept in the fridge. This has not been helpful in the "nostalgic food of my childhood" sense. On the other hand, I make a pretty good rice pudding, and I bake Limpa every winter.

You guys are so helpful. I have mahi-mahi (especially involving macadamia encrusting!), yellowfin tuna, and swordfish on my list so far. I'm looking forward to reporting back - especially since my husband will surely photograph the historic event. It's too bad that we're still a few months away.

My take would be to start with eating more mild, but still meaty fish such as halibut or tuna. When eating fresh tuna, avoid the darker sections of flesh as they have a higher oil content and taste "fishier".

If you're so inclined, Gibsons serves a nice grilled halibut with a side sauce of someting like lemon butter or tomato butter. The fish is firm, sweet, and lacks fishiness in its flavor.

Once you've tried those branch out a bit. I love seafood. But, I've never developed an appreciation for Salmon which has a really strong taste.

Just one caution. Kauai, though a beautiful place where you will have a wonderful holiday, is probably the worst of the islands for dining out. I'd hate for you to make this daring move and them find yourself scared off again for the next 20 years because you ate at a bad place. The Chowhound Elsewhere in America board is mostly about Hawaii. I highly recommend going through it carefully with the thought of bringing some sort of annotated list with you when you go.

Oddly enough, Ed never ate fish or even seafood growing up, but a visit to Katsu converted him to sushi, and from there he's branched out (somewhat tentatively to be sure) to cooked fish and seafood. So if the board turns up some great poke or sushi recommendations, don't absolutely rule it out.

It wasn't actually Katsu that took my sushi-cherry. It was Benihana. And I had Benihana and said "that wasn't bad, but I bet good stuff is WAY better." So I went to Katsu. And it was.

My boyfriend doesn't eat fish except in Hawaii! I think even people who don't think they like fish (and in fact don't like a lot of fish) can enjoy it there. Even if it's not a fine-dining place, the fish will usually be incredibly fresh. I'd say ask for a firm, white-flesh fish to start out with, and a typical Hawaiian/Asian preparation. Misoyaki butterfish may be boring who people who eat it all the time, but it's probably right up your alley. In fact, if I were introducing you to fish I'd probably make you something like that-- slices of fish "marinated" in sauce. You can buy those ready-made at Japanese markets here; you might try them. They're usually black cod and salmon in miso or sake-leek sauce. You throw them in the frying pan and get a nice crispy slice to eat on top of rice.

For restaurants where you might get some of these delicious fishies while on Kauai, I recommend the Beach House in Poipu -- make a reservation ahead of time for the sunset hour 'cause the restaurant is one the west coast of the island and the views are amazing -- and A Pacific Cafe, which is in a weird strip mall in Kaa'pa, but has amazing food. Also, definitely try the fish tacos at Tropical Taco in Hanalei. There's also a seafood buffet at the Princeville resort on Friday nights.

Don't forget to eat some Lappert's ice cream while you're there!

We leave Thursday for Kauai. New digital camera, printout of a lot of Chowhound's Elsewhere in America board, this thread, and a guide to fish found in Hawai'i in tow. I think the first fish tasting will be a mahi, based on everything I've read, but we'll see how things happen.

Are there any more suggestions before I take the pesca-leap?

I'd like to second the recommendation for the Beach House in Poipu. We had a delicious meal there, and the views are breathtaking. We also really enjoyed our meals at Roy's and Plantation Gardens (both in the Poipu area, they're right across the street from one another). Duke's was pretty good, too, but not as memorable as the other restaurants.

Have a wonderful time! We were married there in May.

I did learn to like fish on Kauai. In fact, nearly every meal I ate involved fish. By the day we left, I had dim sum on Oahu with friends who live there, and even ate some crustaceans. Of course I've had dim sum here (for the first time with these same friends and their parents at Little Three Happiness a thousand years ago), but I always had to have my dining companions check for fish before I ate. This time I ate everything. It was absolutely liberating!

The first thing I had was on our first evening there, at CJs in Princeville, an unexceptional place but we wanted to drink and be close to our condo. I drank a lot actually, partially out of fear of the fish are partially because I can't resist drinks with umbrellas that don't taste like booze. This was yellowfin ahi. It was delicious, as best I can recall.



This gave me confidence. The next day, it was the famous Hamura's Saimin in Lihue for lunch. There was a bit of trepidation about this. It was broad daylight and I don't know what kind of fish is in the fishcake (that pink stuff), but I ate it and the whole thing was wonderful. We ordered the "extra special" because it has everything. Salty and noodlely, with vegetables, egg, wonton, spam, pork and fishcake. This is a don't miss on Kauai, but I don't think that's news to anyone here:



On Xmas we went to a lu'au on an old plantation (the name escapes me at the moment) that was unexceptional. But there was mahi on the buffet. It was dried out and not good at all, but had a heavy sauce to try to cover up, but I wasn't falling for it. It just sucked:



Then toward the end I had fish tacos. I had sort of expected them to be hunks of deep fried fish, but it was just ahi, and it was just perfect. This was at Hula Girl in the Coconut Marketplace, where we stopped to have our last meal with the friends from the mainland who were leaving that day out of Lihue, and the location was good for us.



On Oahu we stayed with old family friends from way back, and they served us traditional Hawai'ian dishes. There was poke, some kind of octopus, fried cuttlefish, kalua pork, and a sort of salsa-like smoked salmon dish. It had onion and tomatoes and smoked salmon all diced into the same size, and I actually liked it. So I progressed all the way to smoked salmon and raw ahi in about a week.

Of course, there was some non-fish food in there, like the chicken katsu from No. 1 BBQ in Lihue:


And Puka Dog in Poipu:



And JoJo's Shave Ice in Waimea:


Thanks to everyone for their advice, it was a huge help.

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Mahalo, Mike G. It should be good now.

I know your trip is over but for future reference, ahi poke is absolutely great for first-time and longtime sashimi eaters -- it's a small indulgence for locals (if store-bought) and I'd be surprised if you didn't run into it when in Kauai. Cut into non-intimidating bits and cubes (left-over strips/pieces of ahi after the fish-cutters create a nice block of sashimi) and seasoned with soy, hawaiian salt, crunchy bits of seaweed, etc it doesn't overwhelm you with the texture of raw fish so even people who don't eat sashimi love it. I like it best when it's made fresh and so I look for crystals of Hawaiian salt that haven't dissolved yet as a clue -- most people pick this up in quart size containers from their favorite market or grocery store. I know they also sell it at Berkeley Bowl and I think I've even seen Whole Foods take a crack at it, although I've never tried any version outside of Hawaii... The difference in HI will (hopefully) be the freshly-picked seaweed, forget which kind is most sought-after but it's got this wonderful crunch and of course, tastes like the ocean... Hmm, does anyone know where I can get ahi poke in Chicago -- does Mitsuwa or any of the Japanese markets in the suburbs prepare it?

trotsky wrote:Hmm, does anyone know where I can get ahi poke in Chicago -- does Mitsuwa or any of the Japanese markets in the suburbs prepare it?

Poke is traditionally Hawaiian and not a staple of Japanese households, h/w some Japanese households may make something similar w/ leftover maguro that they don't finish during a meal. The remaining fish is marinated in soy and perhaps some minced ginger & garlic or onions to be eaten the following day (as not to waste), h/w most households will not marinate fresh sashimi-grade maguro prior to eating (obscures the taste of the fish). Thus, it's not likely to be found pre-made in Japanese markets; I've never seen it at Mitsuwa or Tensuke. Poke's not difficult to make; You may have better results with home-made ahi poke. We make it from time to time. Typically on day 2 or 3 if we haven't finished the poke, we'll pan sear it "a la Sam Choy" prior to eating.

stevez wrote:On our first visit to Maui some 10 years ago, she had a dinner of macadamea encrusted mahi-mahi that she talks about to this day.

A la Roy's? Attended a recruitment dinner at Roy's last night. We had the Macadamia-Encrusted Mahi-Mahi and Butterfish last night which was very good. Have to say Chicago Roy's is better than Austin Roy's by far. Our favorite Honolulu restaurant is still Hoku's at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental - man, I miss that place...

Jay K wrote:

stevez wrote:On our first visit to Maui some 10 years ago, she had a dinner of macadamea encrusted mahi-mahi that she talks about to this day.

A la Roy's? Attended a recruitment dinner at Roy's last night. We had the Macadamia-Encrusted Mahi-Mahi and Butterfish last night which was very good. Have to say Chicago Roy's is better than Austin Roy's by far. Our favorite Honolulu restaurant is still Hoku's at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental - man, I miss that place...

No, actually it was at Mother's Seafood House in Maui.