Cooking in Hawaii: Ahi Sashimi with Shiso, Chili Pepper, and Shoyu

Shiso, Ahi, and Manoa Lettuce
NOTE: DoT has been posting from Honolulu since late July when she left California to help her mother through some medical procedures. She will be doing so until she can return to Orange County.
DoT’s Thot: Like fish and poi, laulau and lomi salmon, sashimi and shoyu are staple items that many islanders love. Here is one of my mother’s favorite dishes, ahi sashimi.

Plate of Ahi Sashimi with Shredded Manoa Lettuce and Shiso, Garnished with Shiso or Red Perilla Leaves
Mom Loves Ahi Sashimi with Chili Pepper and Shoyu (Soy Sauce)
At 92, Mom eats whatever is not too hard or crunchy (dentures don’t always allow for all foods). One of her favorite foods is raw fish and ahi sashimi is one that she loves. One day we were eating lunch alone together, so I stiopped at the market and got some ahi and took it home along with some Manoa lettuce. In the garden, Mom has some red perilla or shiso growing.
In addition, there are always some red chili peppers in the yard. Instead of the green wasabi that most people are familiar with at restaurants and sushi bars, one of our favorite ways of eating sashimi is with soy sauce and bird’s eye or tiny red chili peppers.

Chili Peppers and Shoyu for the Ahi Sashimi, Noe the Small Red Chili Next to the Bowl
Preparing the Ahi Sashimi with Chili Peppers and Shoyu
Once you are able to buy a nice block of ahi for sashimi, preparing this dish is simplicity itself. Shred some manoa lettuce or other tender lettuce leaves and scatter on a plate. Shred some shiso or red perilla leaves and sprinkle those on top of the manoa lettuce. Reserve some shiso or red perilla leaves for garnishing the dish. Slice the ahi sashimi and place them on the shredded Manoa lettuce and shiso. Garnish with the reserved shiso leaves.
For the chili peppers and shoyu, use light soy sauce and some small hot chile peppers. If the little island chilis are not available, you may use other varieties that appeal to you, such as Thai hot chili peppers or jalepenos. Break or chop the chili peppers into the soy sauce or shoyu and just be careful with the seeds. Some will want to eat the seeds for the extra zip; some will want to avoid them. Our family happens to like the flavor of chili peppers and shoyu better than that of wasabi and soy sauce.
We enjoyed this so very much.
Aloha, DoT
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