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View Full Version : Gail's revered Canoehouse recipe


emilycat
03-23-2001, 05:26 PM
Gail,

Your recipe is outstanding! (Well, the restaurant's recipe, rather... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )

I did half the amount of oil, and I used about 3 times the amount of veggies (and I made brown basmati because I don't like mashed potatoes) .... but I loved it! The sauce is delicious, the combination of vegetables is delicious, and the tuna, well, I bought the prime cut at the farmer's market (I decided to splurge on myself tonight http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif )

For those of you who didn't run off a copy when she posted it the first time, here's it is:

Me again.
This is the recipe (or one of them) which inspired this whole thread. I've spoken of this before, but not The Whole Story.

On the Big Island of Hawaii, in the Mauna Lani Hotel, is a WONDERFUL restaurant. CanoeHouse is basically everything you expect of a restaurant when you go to Hawaii-- a gorgeous, romantic oceanside setting offering alfresco dining lit by tiki torches, music playing gently in the background, the waves practically lapping at your feet... anyway, there is a dish on their menu: Grilled ono with stir-fried vegetables and wasabi smashed potatoes. If I were sentenced to the electric chair tomorrow, ostensibly for the crime of too many bad puns, this would certainly be my last meal.

Last summer, upon my return from vacation, I immediately wrote to the hotel, pleading for the recipe. At first I was dejected by the lack of response, until the September issue of Bon Appétit came out. And there it was-- well, almost. In his endeavor to tailor the recipe to a more "available" fish, he switched from ono to ahi, also modifying what was originally macadamia nut sauce to the one I'm presenting below. And although I was at first a bit disappointed, I realized the real wisdom in changing the sauce after I tasted the dish. It works. Splendidly. And the taste is so close to what they serve at the restaurant, I wanted to cry.

So here you go-- whether you asked for it or not. My prize catch (although there have been others.) BTW, I added Bon Appétit's recipe for wasabi potatoes since CanoeHouse didn't provide their own. When summer comes, I urge you to try this:

AHI TUNA WITH VEGETABLE STIR-FRY (CANOEHOUSE)

6 servings
5 1/2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil [excuse me-- but is there some OTHER kind of sesame oil?]
4 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage (about 8 ounces) [funny he specifies the oriental oil but not
the variety of cabbage]
3 ounces fresh shiitake mushroooms, stemmed, caps sliced
1 small baby bok choy (about 3 ounces), very thinly sliced
1 large carrot (about 3 ounces), cut in matchstick-size strips
4 green onions, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 6-ounce ahi tuna steaks (each about 3/4 inch thick)
Black sesame seeds and white sesame seeds (optional)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, mushrooms, bok choy, carrot and green onions and stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons oyster sauce and 3 tablespoons soy sauce; stir 1 minute to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer vegetable mixture to medium bowl. To same skillet (do not clean) add 1/2 tablespoon oil, remaining 3 tablespoons oyster sauce, remaining 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, stock butter and vinegar. Boil until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in another large skillet over high heat. Add 3 tuna steaks and cook to desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to small baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tuna.

Divide vegetables among 6 plates. Top with tuna. Ladle sauce around tuna. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
Serve with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

WASABI MASHED POTATOES

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon wasabi powder
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
Place potatoes in large pot of cold salted water. Boil until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Return to pot; mash.
Combine 3/4 cup milk and 1 tablespoon wasabi powder in small bowl. Stir to dissolve powder. Add milk mixture and butter to potatoes. Using electric mixer, beat potatoes until fluffy and smooth. Season potatoes to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and keep at room temperature. Rewarm mashed potatoes over low heat, stirring frequently.)
Serves 6 as a side-dish.


Bon Appétit
March 1999

R.S.V.P.
Buddakan, Philadelphia PA

Gail
03-23-2001, 06:32 PM
I am so glad to hear that! Wish I could've sent you the atmosphere to go with it...

BTW, I'm not a mashed potatoes fan either. My husband went so far as to ask the kitchen to substitute rice for the potatoes in his, so I tasted both ways. And I had to admit that yucky as the combination of fish and mashed potatoes struck me, and as much as I normally prefer rice over mashed potatoes, the combination the chef turned out of his kitchen worked splendidly. So in trying to recreate the magic of the dish, I figured I'd at least offer an option of the wasabi mashed potatoes and let you folks decide for yourselves.

Glad to have made another convert. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Darlin
03-27-2001, 02:26 PM
Gail, Do you think salmon or halibut would work in this recipe??

Gail
03-27-2001, 02:56 PM
"Work?" That's a toughie. See, "work" is going to mean something different to me, because I've still got the taste of the ono-and-macadamia sauce in my brain. Insofar as the halibut is concerned, being milder flavored than tuna, I feel fairly sure, the halibut would've gone better with the original sauce. However the chef, in his utter brilliance, redesigned the sauce posted here to specifically work with the taste of the tuna, thus preserving the overall flavor of the original dish. Would the sesame oil flavor of the dish work as well with one of the fish you suggest? Hmmm. I'm hesitant. With ahi tuna it is a brilliant recipe-- but I just can't see it with salmon (which by the way I ADORE) or halibut.

But wait.... know what? Emily might just have a less biased opinion on this, having never eaten the original. So, why don't you wait and see if she drops by again before taking my answer? If you don't hear from her in about 24 hours, I'd suggest either bouncing this back up to the top or posting her a separate message.

I'm sorry I couldn't help. For some reason, I've got tunnel vision when it comes to this recipe.

emilycat
03-27-2001, 03:29 PM
Hello, here I am! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

You know, for once I am going to say that substituting a different fish might not be a great idea. Definitely not salmon; I don't think the sauce would go very well at all, but perhaps halibut would be nice. The thing that I loved so much about it was the combination of the sauce and the medium-cooked tuna (I hate it well done). Then again, if you don't like tuna, the halibut would probably work better for you.
Oh, this recipe is definitely on my list for entertaining! (Mm... when I get a kitchen table...)

Gail
03-27-2001, 03:39 PM
Emily,

Thanks for the fast response! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Darlin,

If you decide to go for the substitution, I'd be kind of interested in finding out what results are.

McSix
03-29-2001, 05:50 AM
I can't wait to try this. Is ahi available all year? I'm just learning about cooking fish--I'll always stuck to salmon, but want to branch out a bit.

lindrusso
03-29-2001, 06:44 AM
McSix - I can get frozen ahi at my grocery store almost any time of year.

And Emily and Gail - Gosh - I almost passed by this thread and apparently didn't see it the first time around! This looks wonderful and I can't wait to try it.

I for one LOVE mashed potatoes. I too had a dish that paired mashed potatoes and tuna - I think it works because tuna is somehow more meat-like than other fish. The dish I had sounded quite odd - tuna over horseradish mashed potatoes, with roasted shallot sauce, topped with pickled ginger. Somehow it all just worked and it was delicious!

lsdesign
03-29-2001, 06:55 AM
If Gail says this is divine I'm gonna make it. On another note regarding the "oriental" sesame oil, there are two types, one is dark and the other light. A couple of years ago I was cooking with the light one, couldn't find the usual dark at the store, and my Singaporean friend who was visiting had a virtual heartattack over the use of the light type in cooking. She informed DH and I that the light type is strictly used in finishing a dish after it has cooked. Who knew? Any of you know any more about this?

Gail
03-29-2001, 10:05 AM
Originally posted by lsdesign:
If Gail says this is divine I'm gonna make it. On another note regarding the "oriental" sesame oil, there are two types, one is dark and the other light. A couple of years ago I was cooking with the light one, couldn't find the usual dark at the store, and my Singaporean friend who was visiting had a virtual heartattack over the use of the light type in cooking. She informed DH and I that the light type is strictly used in finishing a dish after it has cooked. Who knew? Any of you know any more about this?

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm still not clear, though... which seasame oil considered "oriental" then?

lsdesign
03-29-2001, 10:19 AM
I think they both are oriental, Gail. I have never seen sesame oil used in other cuisines as a traditional ingredient, have you?

Gail
03-29-2001, 10:21 AM
You mean you don't use it in tacos? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

lsdesign
03-29-2001, 10:26 AM
No, I don't think you would but I'll bet that CL will eventually find a way to do it.

aggie94
03-29-2001, 10:43 AM
lsdesign -
I have only ever seen my father use light sesame oil on a dish after it was done, almost like a garnish. He cooks with dark sesame oil, but I use the dark for both.

BTW, thanks for posting this recipe! I can't wait to try it, but unfortunately, I am headed out of town on Saturday and my favorite fish market is closed on Sundays. I guess it will have to wait another weekend. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

[This message has been edited by aggie94 (edited 03-29-2001).]