Steamed Uku Hawaiian Style Serves 4
Tender, moist uku resembles red or gray snapper. Its mild flavor goes well with Hawaiian ingredients such as tamari, ginger and wild mushrooms in this recipe by Patrick Callarec, executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Maui.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Steaming Time: 5 to 8 minutes
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced oyster mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1/3 cup shoyu or tamari
4 4-ounce uku fillets
1 bunch scallions, green parts only, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons sesame oilAdvertisement
1. In a medium sauté pan, sauté mushrooms with garlic and ginger. Deglaze pan by adding shoyu and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
2. Steam uku in a steamer basket or bamboo steamer until it’s opaque, but not dry, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.
3. While the fish steams, heat the oils together until they begin to smoke (this helps enrich the flavors of the oils). Remove oil from the heat immediately at the first sign of smoke.
4. Top fish with mushrooms, raw scallions and cilantro. Drizzle with hot oil and serve immediately.
