Ever get tired of eating the same old salmon, tilapia or sea bass? Well maybe not. How about the news that mercury is in most of our fish that tends to shadow the good healthy Omega 3’s found in them?
Enter Kona Kampachi – a type of yellowtail fish raised in the immaculate waters of the Big Island of Hawaii. Here they are reared with no growth hormones and in a sustainable environmentally sound aqua culture. The fish is touted as having no detectable levels of mercury and is high in Omega 3’s. But does it taste good?
I was recently offered to try Kona Kampachi. The fish arrived well packaged and on ice. The first thing I observed upon unpacking it was that there was no discernible fishy smell – a sign that it was very fresh. It was caught fresh earlier in the week and was processed immediately for shipment. The filets do have bones in them so the “Hungry” Hubby had to find and pick them out.
The HH and I decided to just pan-fry one fillet. It was quite huge and enough to feed 3 people. We wanted to taste the essence of the fish and decided that all the seasoning it needed was salt and pepper. In handling the fish, it was obvious that it was as fatty as a salmon could be. But again, does it taste good?
You bet it does! I have never quite tasted a fish like it. The flesh was rich as a salmon’s but it had the flavor of a white fish much like a red snapper or a tilapia but sweeter and meatier. And the fish had a layer of fat in the belly area that you usually do not get in Supermarket fillets. This is where the most satisfying part of eating the fish comes from and I suspect where levels of Omega 3s are the highest.
A fish this good does come with a price but looking at the whole picture it is not more expensive than a Chilean Sea bass that you would get from a reputable Seafood market. The other added but significant cost would be the shipping that could be more than the price of the fish. They are harvested every Sunday for delivery during the week to ensure freshness.
As much as I love Kona Kampachi, I must say I would save this for special occasions. But if I do see it on the a restaurant menu, I will not hesitate to order it.
Hmm, good to know. I'll tell my daughter to look for it when she's honeymooning in Hawaii.
Sounds beautiful Veron. I keep it on my watch list especially my restaurant list!
I've heard of this but never tasted it, and didn't know it was even available on the East Coast. Thanks for leading way once again! I'll surely order it if I see it on a menu.
Beautiful fish and great info about it. By the way, thanks for the link to the chocolate pots de creme cups, too cute!
Hi Veron,
Kampachi is one of my favorite fish. Isn't it tasty?
I wonder if it can be found in malaysia!
Good to know about a new fish. I will have to look for it when I go out to eat since I live with a non-fish eater. Boo on him.
The Yellow Umbrella carries this fish all the time and is delicious!
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http://www.weeklyrant.com/site/page.asp?PageId=4&SubId=32
Hi Veron – this sounds worth a try – After all the sweets of the last several weeks, I think I'm going to focus on fish in 2008. Happy New Year to you and the Hungry Hubby!
I like my fish just as simply as you've made this. Though I live in the Caribbean and one would think that seafood is always in abundance and reasonably priced, not so in every island. It is one of the things I miss most about Guyana – fresh and a variety of seafood.
Sounds great!!