Green tea, curry, dill aioli dress up island fish dishes

Got fish? The Hawaii Fishing & Seafood Festival does. Taste Hawaii’s local seafood, watch fishing demonstrations, tour a longline boat or learn to cast.

The festival runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Pier 38. Get more information at fishtoday.org or hawaiifishingfestival.com.

In the meantime, enjoy these seafood recipes.

Poached Monchong with Green Tea Broth

2 cups water (or enough to cover fish)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ginger, thinly sliced
4 green onions cut into 2-inch slices
4 6-ounce monchong fillets
» Sauce:
1-1/2 cups brewed green tea
1 cup dashi (Japanese fish stock)
2 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1-1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1-inch piece of ginger
1 Hawaiian chili pepper (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1/4 cup green onions, sliced finely
Squeeze of lemon, to taste (optional)

In large saucepan over medium heat, combine water, salt, ginger and green onions. Submerge monchong in liquid and poach. Simmer (do not boil) for 10-12 minutes or until fish is opaque. Remove fillets from saucepan; set aside.

For sauce: In small pot over medium heat, combine tea, dashi, mushrooms, shoyu, sugar, ginger and chili pepper; simmer 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add sesame oil, green onions and lemon. Pour over fillets. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 200 calories, 3.5 g fat, no saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 1,000 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 37 g protein

Hapuupuu Potato Cakes with Dill Aioli

6 potatoes, coarsely grated
16 ounces hapuupuu (Hawaiian sea bass) or other white fish, baked and deboned
2-1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 cup Maui onion, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh sweet corn
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 clove garlic, grated
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2-1/2 cups instant potato flakes, divided
Light vegetable oil, for frying
» Dill Aioli
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
4 tablespoons dill herb paste

Gently squeeze grated potatoes and combine in bowl with fish, parsley, onion, corn, lime juice, garlic, salt and white pepper. Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups instant potato flakes.

Use ice cream scoop to portion potato mixture and shape cakes by hand. Coat in remaining potato flakes; set aside.

In large frying pan over medium, heat 1/4 inch oil. Gently place potato cakes in pan and fry until golden brown, about 7 minutes per side (adjust temperature to avoid burning). Place on wire rack to cool and drain.

Combine aioli ingredients. Serve with cakes. Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 480 calories, 30 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 450 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 14 g protein

Coconut Curry Crusted Uku

1/2 cup flour, divided
1 egg
|1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon garam marsala
1 teaspoon EACH ground coriander, ground cumin, white pepper and salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 8-ounce uku fillets, with skin

In 3 shallow bowls, place 1/4 cup flour; whisked egg and milk mixture; and coconut, 1/4 cup flour, curry powder, garam marsala, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt.

Pat fillets dry and dip skin side only into flour, then egg mixture, and then press into coconut mixture.

In large pan, heat olive oil on medium-high. When hot, add fillets, coconut side down, and cook 3 minutes, until golden brown. Turn and cook until done, 1 to 2 minutes.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 420 calories, 16 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 135 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 52 g protein

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Find more Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes at www.heco.com.