Seafood lovers, this one’s for you.
For the next two weeks, JETRO — Japan External Trade Organization — is partnering with 15 restaurants in Honolulu to promote the unique flavors of Japanese seafood. Each restaurant’s chef will showcase a specialty dish — or multiple dishes — that feature seafood from Japan; these dishes will be available for purchase from now until March 16. Signature Japanese items like salmon roe, Hokkaido scallops and squid are just a few of the featured ingredients.
This special Japanese seafood promotion is going on at the same time as the events for the Honolulu Festival, which take place March 8 to 9.
See below for the participating restaurants and specialty dishes:
Artizen by MW
Featured dish: Garlic chili buri poke with Asian slaw
Japanese ingredients: Katsuobushi, frozen buri fillet, yuzu kosho and mentai caviar
Artizen by MW, 888 Kapiʻolani Blvd. Ste. 102, Honolulu, 808-524-0499
Bar Maze
Featured dish: Dry-aged kurodai with chrysanthemum and chili butter sauce
Japanese ingredients: Kurodai
Bar Maze, 604 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu
El Cielo by Chef Masa
Featured dish: The Umami Horizon: buri tartar and gazpacho, blanco bonito flan
Japanese ingredients: Katsuobushi, roasted dried sardine oil, frozen buri fillet and Hagino shio
El Cielo by Chef Masa, 346 Lewers St., Honolulu, 808-772-4533
Empire Steak House
Featured dishes: Hokkaido scallop and shrimp pasta with scallops, tiger shrimp and lobster sauce; mentaiko with ika pasta with mentaiko, cream, ika and nori
Japanese ingredients: Frozen buri fillet, yuzu kosho, mentai caviar, scallops and cuttlefish
Empire Steak House, 1777 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, 808-777-3100
Fire Grill Waikīkī
Featured dishes: Grilled Japanese scallops in herb butter sauce with asparagus; squid ink and scampi paella
Japanese ingredients: scallops and cuttlefish
Fire Grill, Hilton Garden Inn Hotel Waikīkī Beach first floor, 2330 Kūhiō Ave., Honolulu, 808-744-3300
Miro Kaimukī
Featured dish: Two-way akami, ikura, chutoro, yuzu kosho and umi
Japanese ingredients: salmon roe and yuzu kosho
Miro Kaimukī, 3446 Waiʻalae Ave., Honolulu, 808-379-0124
MW Restaurant
Featured dishes: seared Hokkaido scallops with Nozawa Farms corn truffle sauce and potato strings; seafood salad with buri, cuttlefish, ikura, Sumida Farms watercress, tomato and cucumber with soy yuzu kosho vinaigrette
Japanese ingredients: frozen buri fillet, yuzu kosho, mentai caviar, scallops, cuttlefish, salmon roe and katsuobushi
MW Restaurant, 888 Kapiʻolani Blvd. Ste. 201, Honolulu, 808-955-6505
Nami Kaze Hawaiʻi
Featured dish: Roasted Hokkaido scallops with Hawaiian ʻulu gnocchi in spicy mentaiko cream sauce
Japanese ingredients: scallops, mentai caviar
Nami Kaze Hawaiʻi, 1135 N. Nimitz Hwy., Honolulu, 808-888-6264
Nanzan Giro Giro
Featured dish: Hokkaido scallop, green kale egg tofu, Kyoto white miso and yuzu kosho soup
Japanese ingredients: scallops and yuzu kosho
Nanzan Giro Giro, 560 Pensacola St., Honolulu, 808-524-0141
natuRe Waikīkī
Featured dish: Catch of the day with green risotto and yuzu kosho clam broth
Japanese ingredients: yuzu kosho and Hagino shio (Japanese sea salt)
nature Waikīkī, 413 Seaside Ave. No. 2F, Honolulu, 808-212-9282
Roy’s Waikīkī
Featured dish: JETRO scallop crudo with yuzu kosho, white soy and Kahuku sea asparagus
Japanese ingredients: scallops
Roy’s Waikīkī, 226 Lewers St., Honolulu, 808-923-7697
Senia
Featured dish: Pan-roasted Hokkaido scallops with sea asparagus and yuzu kosho sauce vierge
Japanese ingredients: scallops and yuzu kosho
Senia, 75 N. King St., Honolulu, 808-200-5412
Taormina Sicilian Cuisine
Featured dishes: Spaghettini with Japanese squid and shishito pepperoncino served with bottarga; seared Japanese scallops with orange mascarpone and shrimp risotto
Japanese ingredients: scallops and cuttlefish
Taormina Sicilian Cuisine, 227 Lewers St., Honolulu, 808-926-5050
The Pig & The Lady
Featured dishes: Buri sashimi with ginger scallion oil, shiso, marinated shallots and garlic, and shoyu zuke ikura; Hokkaido scallops with green curry, puffed rice and aromatic herbs; Hamachi kama ca kho braised in fish sauce, served with Jasmine rice, cilantro, cucumbers and green onions
Japanese ingredients: frozen buri fillet, yuzu kosho, mentai caviar, scallops, salmon roe, roasted dried sardine oil
The Pig & The Lady, 83 N. King St., Honolulu, 808-585-8255
VEIN at Kakaʻako
Featured dishes: Scallops and local tomatoes with ogo and "Kupu Place" fines herbs, pickled truffles and ikura ; ika pepperoncino cold pasta with marinated squid, yuzu kosho, smoked sardine oil and extra virgin olive oil emulsion
Japanese ingredients: scallops, salmon roe and cuttlefish
VEIN at Kakaʻako, 685 Auahi St. building 2 Ste. 121, Honolulu, 808-376-4800
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
