5 February, 2022
Hanalei Dolphin Ahi & Ahi Denny Style
The Story of “Hanalei Dolphin Ahi”
One of my favorite restaurants on this planet is the Hanalei Dolphin located in Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii. Their signature dish is Ahi served rare. My routine when I arrive at the restaurant is to sit at their Tiki bar near the entrance and order one of their signature drinks, a Mai Tai. My personalization of the drink is to request a float of 151 rum on top. By the time I am finished with the drink, our table is normally ready so I settle up at the bar then move on to our table. Time for another personalized Mai Tai. By the time I am finished with my salad, and the Ahi is about to arrive, time for another Mai Tai, not to forget the 151 float. The Ahi is always spectacular. On this particular visit, I asked the waiter what the secret method was of preparing the Ahi. He responded that it was a closely kept secret and nobody except the chef knew. I asked him if he would ask the chef for his “secret recipe” which he profoundly responded “absolutely not”. I let it rest, settled my check, and told Donna that she could drive back to the hotel, she is a non-drinker, and I needed to visit the restroom first. She left to get the car, and I proceeded to go to the restroom. The more I thought about the waiter’s response, the more determined I became to get the recipe for the Ahi. The Mai Tais helped with my courage and resolve. So after leaving the restroom, I had to pass the entrance to the kitchen, I paused, and decided to make my move. I went directly into the kitchen, asked who the chef was, and said, “my name is Dennis Pellman, I am not a restaurateur, I live almost 5,000 miles away in Cincinnati, Ohio, I love the Ahi, and I would like to savor the greatness of the Ahi other than when I visited Kauai, but to do so I need the recipe.” Without hesitation the chef said “sure” , and proceeded to tell me the ingredients of the marinade. I thanked him, hurried to my car, got in, said to Donna, “get a piece of paper and a pen so you can write down the recipe for the Ahi”. Having heard the discussion I had previously with the waiter she responded “What…., you have to be kidding”. I said “just write it down”.
The rest is history.
Hanalei Dolphin Ahi
Notes
-
Serve with individual portions of drawn butter and plain sticky rice, and be sure to include the Mai Tais, personalized with a 151 rum float to properly compliment “Ahi Denny Style”.
Ingredients
- Ahi (Yellow Fin Tuna) steaks
- 1 ea. tbs. brown sugar
- 1 ea. cup of Soy Sauce
- 1 ea. chopped green onion
- 1 ea. ½ tsp. minced garlic
- 1 ea. ½ tsp. ground ginger
Instructions
- Marinate Ahi in the refrigerator for 1/2 hr. (no longer!!!!)
- Cook from sear to med. rare on very hot grill
- (Do not overcook!) max. 4 min. on each side
- Serve with individual portions of drawn butter and plain sticky rice
Ahi Dad Style
Notes
Be sure to include the Mai Tais, personalized with 151 rum of course, to accurately follow “Ahi Denny Style”.
Ingredients
- Ahi (Yellow Fin Tuna) steaks
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Smoked or Spanish Paprika
- Pure coconut oil
- Butter
Instructions
- Lightly coat both sides of the Ahi with fresh lemon
- Sprinkle both sides with paprika
- Put Ahi in freezer for 5 minutes
- Preheat the grill to the highest settings.
- Heat on low 2 ea. tbsp. of coconut oil to just bring the solid to a liquid
- Completely coat the cold Ahi with the melted coconut oil which will cause the oil to harden
- Return Ahi to freezer coated side up for 5 more minutes.
- Coat the second side of the Ahi with the liquid coconut oil which will harden upon contact.
- Place Ahi onto the preheated grill and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes.
- 3 minutes each side = rare 4 minutes Each side = medium
- Serve with individual portions of drawn butter and plain sticky rice.
- And be sure to include the Mai Tai, personalized with 151 rum of course, to accurately follow “Ahi Denny Style”.
One thought on : 1
This is one of my favorites!
Kauai, HERE WE COME!