Aloha! Steal this chef’s Hawaiian fish recipe

In this special weekly feature, “Today” food editor Phil Lempert brings you recipes “stolen” (with permission) from notable restaurants across America. See how much money you can save — and fun you can have — by cooking these dishes at home!

This week: Charred Mahi-Mahi With a Sesame Crust Topped With Lime Ginger Beurre Blanc, from A Pacific Café, Kauai, Hawaii.

As the cold, winter winds blow across much of the country, here’s something tropical to warm you up!

This week’s “stolen” recipe comes from Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands, specifically from A Pacific Café, the culinary home of chef-owner Jean-Marie Josselin. A visit to A Pacific Café offers creative gourmet cuisine, beautiful tropical decorations and a rotating collection of art. Aloha!

About the chef:
Jean-Marie Josselin was born in Chamonix, in the French Alps, and was educated at Paris’ Mederic Culinary School. After working at top restaurants and hotels throughout Europe and the mainland United States, Josselin arrived in Hawaii in 1985 as chef at the Hotel Hana-Maui.

After subsequent stints on the mainland, he returned to the islands in 1988 as chef at the Coco Palms Resort on Kauai, where he won numerous awards, including the Hawaii Seafood Championship in 1988 and 1989 and Grand Prize in the National Seafood Challenge of 1989.

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In 1989, Josselin opened A Pacific Café. Both commercially successful and critically acclaimed, it is repeatedly named “Best Restaurant in Kauai” by Honolulu Magazine; referred to as “one of the best restaurants in the country” by Bon Appétit, and included in the list of “50 Choice Restaurants Around the Country” by Condé Nast Traveler. Josselin has been nominated for Best Chef Award for his region (Northwest/Hawaii) six times by the James Beard Foundation. He has also been a featured chef at the James Beard House in New York City.

A Pacific Café became so popular that Josselin opened branches on Maui and Oahu in 1994 and 1997, respectively. In 2000, like many top chefs he was lured by the bright lights of Las Vegas, opening his 808 restaurant at Caesars Palace in 2000. A second 808 followed in San Diego in 2003.

Josselin hosted his own television show, “A Taste of Hawaii with Jean-Marie Josselin,” in 2000 and 2001, in addition to appearing on many national programs. In 1992, he released a book containing 125 recipes.

(PLEASE NOTE: Ingredient prices are estimates and based on national averages. Amounts listed are for one portion. Increase proportionately according to number of portions desired.)

Charred Mahi-Mahi With a Sesame Crust Topped With Lime Ginger Beurre Blanc
($25.25 at A Pacific Café. Cook-at-home cost is $3.80.)

1/2 cup dry white wine ($0.48)
2 slices fresh ginger ($0.02)
1/4 cup heavy cream ($0.37)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter ($0.32)
1 lime, juiced ($0.24)
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic ($0.05)
Salt and pepper to taste
3-ounce mahi-mahi fillet ($2.10)
1/8 cup white sesame seeds ($0.04)
1 teaspoon corn starch ($0.01)
1/4 teaspoon black sesame seeds ($0.17)

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In a skillet, combine the white wine and the fresh slivers of ginger. Simmer on medium heat to reduce by half. Add the heavy cream and reduce again by half. Cut the butter into small cubes; then add them one at a time until each is incorporated into the reduction. Make sure to keep the sauce right under boiling temperature while you incorporate the butter. The sauce will separate if it boils too rapidly or becomes too cold.

Next, pass the reduction through cheesecloth or a chinois. (A chinois is a metal sieve with a very fine mesh used to strain soups and sauces.) Put the sauce in a blender and add the minced garlic and the lime juice. Process at medium speed until the ginger and the lime juice are incorporated into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reserve to the side until fish is ready for serving.

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Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Mix together the cornstarch and white sesame seeds. Next, press one side of the fish into the seed mixture. Place a heavy-bottomed skillet or a wok on high heat. After the skillet is really hot, place the fish in the pan with the sesame seed side down. Cook until crispy brown. Turn the fish over and cook an additional 4 to 6 minutes. (Mahi-mahi has a firm, white meat and a delicate flavor. It is sometimes called dorado or dolphin fish. [It has no relation to dolphins, which are mammals.])

Serve on a small bed of stir-fried vegetables. Drizzle the lime ginger butter sauce around the fish and garnish the dish with black sesame seeds.

A Pacific Café
4-831 Kuhio Highway 220
Kapaa, Hawaii
(808) 822-0013
www.apacificcafe.com

Want to find out how you can make your favorite restaurant dish at home? Just e-mail Phil at (or use the mail box below) with the name of the restaurant, city and state, and the dish you would like to have re-created. Want to know more about Phil and food? Visit his Web site at www.supermarketguru.com.

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