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Kona Kampachi Meuniere by Matt Dela Cruz of Humble Market
Matt Dela Cruz is the Executive Chef at Humble Market Kitchen in Wailea. Born and raised in the plantation town of Waimea Kauaʻi where he credits the beginning of his food journey. Matt graduated from Kauai Community College Culinary Arts program and began working for Roy Yamaguchi eventually as the Executive Chef of Poipu Grill and Bar. Besides the continual training provided by Yamaguchi, Dela Cruz is an avid reader of industry magazines, cookbooks and admits to being a devoted Food Network fan. But all that education won’t be put to good use if he doesn’t push his limits, he says. In the restaurant, Dela Cruz’s knowledge of different food cultures combined with Roy’s signature style allows for endless possibilities. Matt says he prides himself in perpetuating Royʻs Hawaiian fusion style with his chefs and cooks.Humble Market Kitchin executive chef Matt Dela Cruz combines his knowledge of food with the signature style of his mentor, Roy Yamaguchi, for endless possibilities. He makes his recipe for Kona Kampachi Meuniere.
Ingredients
- 1 side of Kona Kanpachi skin on (avg 2.5-3lb filet)
- 1/2 cup calamansi juice
- 3 finger limes
- 1 cup pickled pohole fern minced
- 1/2 cup ogo minced
- 1 tsp yuzu kosho
- 1/2 cup smoked shoyu
- 1 lb kiawe smoked konbu butter
- 2 cups Wondra flour
Instructions
Kiawe Smoked Soy & Kiawe Smoked Konbu Butter
- First, fill a 4-inch half-metal pan with some ice and add about a cup of kosher salt as to prevent melting.
- Rehydrate a 3 inch piece of Konbu or a 1/4 package of wakame if you don’t have konbu, drain off water, mince and set aside.
- Place 2lbs unsalted butter on a half sheet pan with a cooling rack on it (so the smoke can circulate).
- Pour 1 quart of preferred soy sauce in a metal hotel pan, the more surface area the better so the smoke will be ableto circulate over the soy.
- Using your home oven with four racks first place the pan of soy sauce on the top rack, then on second rack place the half sheet pan of cold unsalted butter, then on the third rack place the pan of salted ice cubes, and finally on the last rack place the pie tin with kiawe chips in it, Walla you have created a cold smoker using your convectionoven.
- Using a small torch light the kiawe chips on fire to start the smoking process close your oven door once the chips start to retain the red ambers on it, turn on your oven fans toprevent any unwanted Kiawe smoke smell throughout your kitchen, smoke for a few hours relighting kiawe chips when needed.
- After smoking mix mincedkonbu into the butter to make your Kiawe smoked konbu butter and pour smoked soy into a mason jar which can pretty much live in your refrigerator till use.
Instructions:
- Preheat a 10 inch nonstick Sauté pan on medium heat 325 degrees.
- Using a sharp Chef’s knife score the skin side of the Kanpachi a few times to prevent curling when cooking, 4-5 2inch slices down the side of the fish should be sufficient.
- Using the wondra flour dust the side of kanpachi thoroughly, then pat off excess flour making sure to leave no clumps of flour anywhere on the fish.
- Add a Tbsp of cooking oil, then sliding the fish away from you skin side down place it carefully into the saute pan, using a smaller pan or a Hamburger press weight down the fish skin side down into the pan to ensure even cooking and a crispy skinned fish.
- Sauté skin side down till the albumin is visible on the sides of the filet approximately 6-8 minutes, using fish spatula gently flip fish over away from you and cook for another 6-8 minutes, insert a bamboo skewer into the side of the fish to check for doneness it should be able to go into the fish with no resistance and come out clean when removed from the fish.
- When done, carefully remove fish with spatula and place skin side up on a cooling rack.
- Discard of remaining cooking oil and add ½ cup of unsalted butter to pan, slowly stirring until the butter solids start to get brown bits forming then moving quickly add yuzu kosho, minced pohole fern, shoyu, calamansi juice and slowly fold in smoked konbu butter to create your pan sauce take off of heat when all the butter has melted.
- To serve, place Kanpachi filet skin side up in the center of a large serving platter big enough to have a few inches of plate around the fish, spoon a generous amount of brown butter sauce over and around fish filet.
- Garnish with minced ogo & finger lime pulp and serve with a bowl of steamed white or Jasmine rice and vegetable side dish of your choice…Pau
How to Serve:
- Serves 2-4 (or 1 hungry Hawaiian).
Nutrition
Calories: 1312kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 57gFat: 96gSaturated Fat: 59gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 4gCholesterol: 327mgSodium: 2628mgPotassium: 1323mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 3747IUVitamin B1: 1mgVitamin B5: 2mgVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 147mgIron: 4mg
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