FOOD FOR THOUGHT
My daily #AtoZ posts combine two concepts in under-300-words per day:
an appealing food choice along with thoughts that spring to mind.
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Ocean fish around O'ahu that will satisfy your cravings for fresh seafood include 'Opihi, Opakapaka (Pink Snapper), Ono (Wahoo) - Ono means delicious and Wahoo is probably a derivative of O'ahu where these fish are found in abundance; and O'opu kai nohu. 'Opihi is the one that is sometimes called 'the fish of death'.
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| 'Opihi picking off Maui rocky shore. Rule #1 Never turn your back to the ocean. |
'Opihi is Hawai'i's version of that snail delicacy: escargot. Pick it off a rock, suck out the meat, move on. Either you like it, or you haven't tried it. I am in the second category - I don't do oysters, either.
Although these fish can be found around the world, three species are endemic to the Hawaiian islands: black foot, yellow foot, and giant 'opihi. It has a thick, cone-shaped shell covered by ridges. There is a pair of tentacles, a mouth, and a muscular foot that allows it to strongly seal its body to a rock to prevent being plucked off by a rough wave - or person wanting to eat it.
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| Yellow and Black 'opihi "on the rocks" |
People have risked their lives trying to pick 'opihi from rocks. It can be dangerous–even referred to as “the fish of death” and “delicacy of death”. Because 'opihi live in rough shore breaks, people get thrashed around by the surf, sometimes resulting in paralysis, drowning, other times getting swept out to sea and never returning.
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| http://www.wegoholoholo.com/opihi-poke-bowl-limpet/ |
Rule #1: never turn on your back to the ocean.
Oh man! My aunt used to put oysters in her Thanksgiving Dressing! Le Yuck! Ruined in my adolescent opinion. And no I still wouldn't eat it lol
ReplyDeleteStephanie Finnell
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Another of those acquired tastes that doesn't seem worth acquiring. IMHO. :) People who fish here for 'Opihi definitely love it, though.
ReplyDeleteI need to go back to Hawaii. It's been too long. Not to pick fish off rocks, mind you, just to enjoy everything else.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Jacqui, you can skip the death-defying rock fishing.
DeleteUm, no....LOL! I don't do raw seafood in any shape or form. Funny thing, I was raised in MA on the ocean and eat hardly any seafood.
ReplyDeleteTheme: Oh, the places we will go!
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Surprised you don't eat much seafood at all, Donna. I can understand your not doing the raw fish, though.
DeleteWhen the superferry was running, we heard that the DLNR stopped a pair from Oahu with a huge bag of opihi that they got on Maui. I can't remember why they were stopped - maybe they were driving around in a car with an expired safety sticker, in a friend's car. I learned never to bake opihi. It's just not worth it. If you can't grill it, don't bother collecting it. Maui Jungalow
ReplyDeleteNot exactly what the superferry wanted to accomplish. I can see why Kauai didn't want it over there. Grilling is the only way I know of anyone fixing opihi. Good to know not to bake it.
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