Last week chef Wayne Hirabayashi of the Kahala Hotel & Resort shared a recipe for the Plumeria Beach House Chinese Chicken Salad. Today we have Part 2 of a pair of requests involving the Kahala banquet menu, this time a fish dish.

Lyanne Flores, who recently attended a wedding reception at the Kahala while on a visit from the mainland, was most impressed with the buffet and asked for recipes for both the salad and the Cornflake-Crusted Monchong. "I know it is highly unlikely that I’d be able to find and/or obtain the monchong here on the East Coast but would still like to obtain the recipe for it," she wrote.

Hirabayashi says Flores could use another type of fish. "We would use mahi, monchong and snapper — fish with not-so-firm flesh," he said. "Try not to use marlin and swordfish. They will dry out."

The cornflake-crusted dish that Flores enjoyed is actually a variation on a recipe using potato chips which Hirabayashi sent along. The recipe might seem somewhat familiar if you ever watched Hari Kojima on "Let’s Go Fishing" or "Hari’s Kitchen," coating fish in mayonnaise before cooking.

This technique helps keep the fish moist while providing a means for the crust to stick to the fish. Hirabayashi pumps things up by giving the fish a good soak in a sweet Japanese-style marinade, then providing a rich butter sauce to serve on the side.

To make the fish with cornflakes, substitute crushed cornflakes for the crushed chips. And a note on the sauce: It really does take 1 to 2 pounds of butter. That’s not a mistake. If that scares you, I’d suggest simplifying — just make the fish and serve a little clarified butter and lemon slices on the side. 

MAUI CHIP-CRUSTED CATCH

4 pounds mahimahi, monchong or snapper, sliced into 2-ounce pieces
2 cups mayonnaise
1 pound Maui-style potato chips, crushed
» Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/4 cup mirin
1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ginger juice (grate ginger and squeeze out liquid)

Combine marinade ingredients and marinate fish at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and pat fish dry. Coat fish in mayonnaise and dip in potato chips so each piece is covered. Bake 15 to 17 minutes.

Serve with Lemon Butter Sauce (below). Serves at least 8.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (without sauce): 960 calories, 66 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,300 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 53 g protein.

LEMON BUTTER SAUCE

2 cups white wine
1/4 cup chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon green peppercorns
2 tablespoons dry tarragon leaves
1 to 2 pounds unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, to taste

Bring wine, shallots, garlic, peppercorns and tarragon to a simmer in a small pot. Let simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup.

Remove from heat and gradually add butter, starting with 1 pound and whisking smooth. Add lemon juice and season with salt. Taste and add more butter if sauce is too tart. Strain.

Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. Write "By Request," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813. Send e-mail to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.