Mama's Fish House "Papa's Three Fish Sashimi"

Photos Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Greetings from sunny Seattle! No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth; I was simply on a different part of the earth for the past three weeks. We were fortunate enough to turn our annual 2-week Maui vacation into a 3-week vacation this year so I have been on hiatus. Maui was as beautiful as ever and the weather was divine. Imagine our excitement when we returned to Seattle to find blue skies and temperatures in the 70s! The skies are clear to match our newly cleared minds.

While on Maui, we had more amazing food than I can begin to mention. There was one particular dining experience that stood out so I decided to share photos and details. Although we stayed put in Kaanapali for most of our vacation, we did make it to one of our favorite Maui towns, Paia. This town is special because of the quaint restaurants and boutiques and because of its internationally known wind surfing beaches. Before taking in the Paia sights, we decided to stop at Mama's Fish House for a pu pu (Hawaiian appetizer) and an award winning Mai Tai cocktail.


We ended up choosing "Papa's Three Fish Sashimi" as our appetizer and it did not disappoint. This was not only one of the most beautiful plates of foods I have ever been served, it was hands down the best sashimi I could imagine. Each type of fish was melt-in-your mouth delicate which was due to the freshness of the fish and the slicing skills of the sushi chefs. The masterful part however, was the balance of flavors the chefs achieved with each preparation. Sashimi is so often overpowered by its accompanying ingredients but this dish was absolute perfection. Each fish was partnered with a different  Hawaiian sea salt; which had their own unique flavors and textures. This added another layer of pleasure to our experience because we were able to sample even more ingredients that were new to us. And yes, the Mai Tai was fabulous. :)

"Papa's Three Fish Sashimi":
Opakapaka with coconut-chili and Molokai sea salt. Ahi with star anise-daikon and Kukui nut salt. Kampachi with pineapple-pomegranate and Hawaii Island black sea salt (listed in order of photos above).