MEDIA RELEASE
Renowned American chef and TV personality Lee Anne Wong created a luscious Simmered Hawaiian Kampachi with marinated salmon roe, tempura matsutake and dashi consomme for the recent New York VIP event at Autism Speaks.
The fundraising gala for top donors included an exclusive pre-event appetizer party with original dishes prepared by Chef Wong and three other top chefs.
“The Hawaiian Kampachi is fantastic to work with. It is sustainably raised, delicious, flavorful, rich and has such a silky texture that it can be prepared so many ways,†Wong said. “It is absolutely great cooked and I used every bit of the fish, including the head and bones to make the wonderful Kampachi stock.â€
Wong has travelled extensively to Hawaii and is familiar with how Hawaiian Kampachi is raised and harvested.
“Hawaii is a place where a lot of creative cooking and foods are coming from today. They have amazing food and agriculture and aquaculture,†Wong said. “The sustainable fish farming, which is how Hawaiian Kampachi is raised, is critical for the future of fish and seafood.â€
Wong also has found ways to use Hawaiian Kampachi so there is no part that goes unused.
“Some young chefs don’t realize how versatile a fish it is. I used the head and ground the bones for the delicious stock and the fish lends itself to so many preparations including grilled, smoked, simmered, baked and barbecued,†she said.
“We are thrilled that Chef Wong selected Hawaiian Kampachi as the focus of the dish she created for Autism Speaks in New York,†said Todd Madsen, CEO, Blue Ocean Mariculture, the company which grows and harvests Hawaiian Kampachi.
“This is a ‘Made in the USA’ fish that is great from starters to entrees and is remarkably versatile. Chef Wong developed an outstanding recipe for the event and we are pleased so many guests were able to sample it at the gala,†he said.
The world’s largest autism advocacy organization, Autism Speaks, raised $1.6 million at the New York gala. More than 100 of the top donors were invited to attend the exclusive appetizer pre-gala event.
Wong currently resides in New York and is one of the last four contestants on the first season of Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ reality show. She has been the culinary producer for the show and its spin-off, ‘Top Chef Masters’ and is seen the Cooking Channel’s series ‘Unique Eats.’
She has also been a consulting chef for movies and TV programs and used her culinary skills to help a range of charitable causes.
Hawaiian Kampachi is sustainably raised in net pens in the Pacific Ocean, off the Kona Coast and is available fresh, year round.
Praised by celebrity chefs for its flavor and firm texture as well as the way it can be used in many different types of preparations, Hawaiian Kampachi is served at the best sushi and white tablecloth restaurants across the country, including Hillstone Park Avenue (New York City), the Oval Room (Washington, D.C.), and Morimoto Sushi Bar (Philadelphia).
Blue Ocean Mariculture is the exclusive producer of Hawaiian Kampachi (Seriola rivoliana). Blue Ocean is dedicated to the sustainable and responsible production of marine finfish in Hawaii.
Operating along the Kona coast, Blue Ocean manages all aspects of its product’s life cycle to ensure the highest quality and least environmental impact.
Simmered Hawaiian Kampachi
Serves 12
1 4-lb Hawaiian Kampachi Fish
1 3-inch piece kombu Seaweed
4 yellow onions, cut in half lengthwise, skin on
300 g Bonito Shavings or 1/2 cup dried bonito soup stock
3 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into large coins
24 cups Water
1 cup Lite Soy Sauce
2 cups Sake
1 cup Mirin
1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 6-inch piece of Nagaimo, peeled and brunoised, 1/8″ dice
12 Tablespoons Marinated Salmon Roe
12 pieces Shiso Leaf (Cilantro Leaf and stem if you don’t have Shiso), chiffonade 12 stems Mitsuba, chopped (Thai Basil or Celery Leaves if you don’t have Mitsuba)
1. Gut and filet the kampachi fish. Discard the innards. Portion the filets into 12 servings. Remove the gills from the head using a sharp knife or scissors. Rinse the bones thoroughly, removing any trace of blood, scrubbing with a toothbrush. Chop the bones into 5 smaller pieces, split the head.
2. Add the bones to a large stock pot with the water and kombu. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer. While the stock is beginning to cook, blacken the onion halves face down in a dry sauté pan over medium heat until blackened. Add the onions to the pot, along with the sliced ginger. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add the sake, soy, mirin, sugar, salt, and rice vinegar. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. Strain the fish bones and meat out of the pot. (Pick the cooked kampachi meat from the bones, set aside, discard bones and aromatics). Bring the broth to a boil then turn off the heat. At this point you will add either the bonito shavings (stir into pot), or the bonito soup stock. Allow the stock to steep. Once the bonito shavings have sunk to the bottom of the pot, strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter into a new pot.
4. Remove 6 cups of broth for poaching the kampachi filets. Place the broth into a separate small pot and simmer the kampachi filets 4 pieces at a time, for about 3 minutes each, until cooked through. Repeat until all of the filets have been cooked. In the meantime heat the remaining broth up. Season to taste.
5. Place each filet in a shallow soup bowl. Ladle 1 cup of broth over the fish. Top with a tablespoon of diced nagaimo and a tablespoon of the marinated salmon roe. Garnish with the minced herbs. Serve immediately.
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