Red has always been the symbolic color of good luck in Asia, and it’s a color prominently displayed for the new year in many Hawaii households. In Japan, a red fish was eaten to usher in the new year, and it is perhaps this tradition that endears ahi to all of us during this festive season.

Red fleshed, beefy, firm textured with a high fat content, ahi is Hawaii’s prized sashimi fish. It will be in high demand in the days ahead and command its weight in gold. Hawaii’s longline fleet was out in force before Christmas to bring home their catch for this week’s New Year’s tables, according to Brooks Takenaka of United Fishing Agency, which runs the Honolulu Fish Auction at Pier 38.

Don’t expect to see much bottom fish such as onaga, a red snapper, and if you do, prices will be in the $30- to $40-per-pound range.

Good quality — fresh and fatty — bigeye ahi will command that price range as well, especially because the recent blustery weather has affected the catch. But other tuna varieties such as yellowfin, tombo and aku should be in good supply in a wide range of prices, according to Takenaka.

There’s little you need to do with a good piece of ahi — just slice and serve. Dip it in soy sauce, soy sauce with wasabi, or Chinese mustard.

Or try this Korean-style sauce with a little spice: Whisk together 2 tablespoons kochujang (Korean chili paste) with the same amount of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar, plus 1 tablespoon honey. Top with 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds.

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Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong offers a weekly tidbit on fresh seasonal products, many of them locally grown.