A Chef Mavro Classic Returns—For a Limited Time

This dish turns steamed onaga into a dramatic magic trick.

June 9, 2015

Michael Keany,

Photo: Elyse Butler Mallams

In HONOLULU Magazine’s latest Restaurant Guide issue—available on newsstands or as a digital edition now—we take a look at some of the town’s most iconic dishes. You know, the ones that have been around for years, the ones that chefs can never get rid of because diners love them so much. Roy’s melting hot dark-chocolate soufflé, Diamond Head Market’s lemon-crunch cake, the ‘ahi tataki at Ethel’s Grill—you get the idea.

One of those classic dishes is normally pretty tough to get. Chef Mavro’s onaga baked in Hawaiian salt crust is a dramatic production: a fillet of fresh snapper baked in a fish-shaped crust of heavily salted dough that’s cut open tableside, revealing the perfectly steamed fish, which is then served in a sauce of tomatoes and ogo seaweed. His fans have loved it for years, but, because the chef revamps his menu every season, it’s usually only available as a special request, days in advance.

If you’re an onaga fan, now’s your chance to try a real classic of Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine—to coincide with HONOLULU Magazine’s coverage, Chef Mavro has put the onaga salt crust dish back on the regular menu for a few weeks, from now through Father’s Day, June 21.

Catch this fish while you can, and pick up a copy of the Restaurant Guide to learn more about other classic dishes to try.

1969 S. King St., 944-4714, chefmavro.com.

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