Recipe: Smoked Akolea Sturgeon

Azure chef de cuisine Jon Matsubara will present one of the nine cooking demonstrations at this year’s Made in Hawaii Festival.

Chef Jon will be on the Cooking Demonstrations stage on Friday, August 21, 2009 at 6 p.m. featuring an Akolea Smoked Sturgeon, Deviled Peterson Upland Farm Egg and Pickled Kahuku Seaphire.

Here’s a look at the recipe:

Akolea Smoked Sturgeon

Recipe by Jon Matsubara, Azure

Ingredients
2# Akolea sturgeon fillet (from Akolea Aquatics in Hilo)
brine
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
2 bay leaf
2 sprig thyme
1 head garlic cut in half
1T peppercorn

Hot smoke
4c kiawe or mesquite wood chips soaked in water on a Weber grill

Method- to make brine heat water, salt and aromatics and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and cover fillet in brine and soak for 8 hours.

To hot smoke start 2# charcoal and heat till grey. In weber grill put all coals on one side. Put 1cup soaked and drained wood chips wrapped in tin foil on the coals and put top grill on. Place fillet on the opposite side to cook and smoke indirectly. Cover with lid and check fillet in 7-10 minutes till done. Remove from weber and cool down. This can be refrigerated for 3 days.

Pickled Kahuku Seaphire

Recipe by Jon Matsubara, Azure

Ingredients
3 pounds seaphire or sea beans
1 tablespoon pickling spice
3 to 5 garlic cloves
3-1/2 cups white wine vinegar
3-1/2 cups water
1-3/4 cups sugar

Preparation
Clean asparagus and soak in cold water 1 hour. Drain.
Bring vinegar, spices, garlic water and sugar to boil and simmer 15 minutes. Pour hot solution over asparagus and cool to room temp.

Deviled Eggs

Recipe by Jon Matsubara, Azure

Ingredients
12 large eggs from Peterson Upland Farm in Wahiawa
1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 pound smoked sturgeon

Preparation

• In a large saucepan, cover the eggs with water; bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 14 minutes.
• Drain the eggs and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Let cool completely, then remove the shells.
• Cut a thin slice from the rounded ends so the eggs can stand upright.
• Slice 1 inch of egg white off the pointed ends, then carefully scoop out the yolks from the pointed ends and transfer to a large bowl.
• Using a food processor add sturgeon, mayo, lemon and herbs.
• Finely mash the yolks and add pureed sturgeon mixture. Season with salt and white pepper. Spoon the filling into a sturdy resealable plastic bag and squeeze it into 1 corner.
• Then, using scissors, snip 1/2 inch from the corner of the bag and pipe the filling into the egg whites.
• Top with caviar and chervil
   

Chef Jon Matsubara. Photo: courtesy of Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Jon Matsubara joined the culinary team at The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, as the Chef de Cuisine for the new fine dining restaurant, Azure.

An award winning Chef, Matsubara most recently was the Executive Chef for the Stage Restaurant.  While at Stage, Matsubara received the Hale ‘Aina Award for Best New Oahu Restaurant, Silver.

Chef Matsubara started his culinary career at Roy’s Restaurant, honed his skills as Chef de Cuisine of Canoe House Restaurant in the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel; served as Chef de Partie in the famed New York kitchens of Restaurant Jean Georges, Tabla, Bouley and Honolulu’s acclaimed Alan Wong’s Restaurant.

The Made in Hawaii Festival Cooking Demonstrations are coordinated by HONOLULU Magazine and are sponsored in part by the State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Buy Fresh Buy Local program. All of the recipes featured include farm fresh Made in Hawaii local produce or seafood resources.

The 14th Annual Made in Hawaii Festival happens on Friday, August 21 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, August 22 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, August 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is produced by the Made in Hawaii Association and is presented by First Hawaiian Bank.