My Luau Menu
One of my favorite ways to entertain is to invite friends over for an almost-traditional luau. Although I am not a fan of random potlucks, people always bring food to a luau and it is almost always traditional and usually a specialty of that particular person. My friends George and Maria, for example, bring delicious Squid Luau. Here are my favorite luau recipes, all but one of which are my own. I like to serve poi, too, but have not had much luck either getting fresh taro root or locating a good brand of prepared poi.
My Recipes:
Ahi Tuna Poke
Pineapple with Black Pepper
Lomi Lomi Salmon
Grilled Steak with Teriyaki-inspired Orange Sauce
Green Papaya Salad
Potato Mac Salad
Recipes Not Included:
Squid Luau
(I’m still working on my version; for now, try this)
Steamed White Rice
Sliced Mango
(buy ripe mangos, peel and slice them)
Green Tea Mochi
(buy in the ice cream section of an Asian Market; also available at Trader Joe’s)
Ahi Tuna Poke
Serves 6 to 8
Poke (po-kay) is one of those remarkably simple dishes that is so much more than the sum of its parts. This version sticks very closely to the traditional ones, though it may be difficult to find the inamono if you don’t live in Hawaii. I always bring some back with me and when friends go to the islands, I ask them to pick up some for me. You usually find it in the meat department of any grocery store. There’s one other ingredient, a type of dark red seaweed, that I don’t even bother suggesting because it is so very hard to find.
2 pounds sashimi-grade ahi tuna, trimmed of any dark flesh and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 green onions, white and green parts, very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Hawaiian alaea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon inamono (ground kukui nut, also known as candlenut)
Put the tuna in a medium bowl, add the green onions, soy sauce and sesame oil and toss gently. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
To serve, transfer the poke to a serving bowl or plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve immediately.
Pineapple with Black Pepper
Serves 6 to 8
This very simple recipe is not Hawaiian but it is so good as part of a luau that I almost always serve it. It is important to use the best black pepper you can; my favorite is genuine Sarawak Black Pepper, available here. The recipe originally appeared in my book Salt & Pepper.
1 large ripe pineapple, preferably white
Hawaiian alaea salt or Kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely crushed.
Place he pineapple horizonally on your work surface. Use a heavy, sharp knife to cut it in half lengthwise, cutting through the crown and stem as well as the fruit itself.
Cut each half of the pineapple in half again, lengthwise. Use a paring knife to cut out the core at the top of each quarter, inserting the knife at one end and pulling it along to the ohter. Lift off and discard the core.
Using a sharp, somehwat flexible knife, cut each quarter wedge of flesh away from the skin; leave it in place. Cut each wedge into slices and about 3/4-inch thick, being sure not to cut through the skin.
Set the wedges in their skins on a serving platter. Using your fingers and holding your hand several inches above each wedge, shower the pineapple with a generous pinch of salt, followed by a heavier sprinkling of black pepper. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Lomi Lomi Salmon
Serves 4 to 6
I do not recommend using farmed salmon, in this or any other recipe. Salmon farming is harmful to the environment and is considered by many experts to be harmful to humans, as well. Instead, look for wild salmon from Alaska when California salmon is not available.
1 1/2 pounds wild King salmon fillet, boned and skinned
Kosher salt or Hawaiian alaea sea salt
1 large Maui or other sweet onion, cut into small dice
2 large backyard or farmers’ market tomatoes, preferably a beefsteak variety, peeled and cut into small dice
4 green onions, trimmed and cut into very thin rounds
Juice of 1 lime, plus more to taste
Black pepper in a mill
3 ripe avocados (optional)
1 lime, cut into wedges
Season the salmon generously all over with salt, set on a plate, cover lightly with foil or wax paper and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove the salmon from the refrigerator, rinse under cool water and cut into small dice. Put the salmon in a bowl, add the onion, tomatoes and green onions and toss gently. Add the lime juice, season with black pepper and toss again. Taste and correct the seasoning.
To serve with avocados, cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the seed and use a sharp paring knife to cut the flesh into thin lengthwise strips. Use a large soup spoon to carefully scoop out the avocado and arrange on individual plates, pressing down just slightly so that the strips spread out into a fan. Divide the salmon among the servings, garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy immediately.
To serve without the avocados, put the salmon in a serving bowl, garnish with lime wedges and serve.
Kalua Pig
Serves 8 to 10
Kalua pig--the classic luau dish, traditionally cooked in an underground pit called an imu--is a perfect party dish, as it takes just minutes of hands-on preparation and is absolutely delicious. It’s also easy to transport.
Many recipes call for the removal of all visible fat before cooking the pork but this is not a good idea. Fat lubricates and flavors the meat but most of it is released during cooking; water is added to the pan so that the rendered fat does not burn. Fat that remains after cooking can easily be removed if it’s not wanted (though it is really delicious).
Ti leaves (available at Asian markets)
Large (about 6 pounds) pork butt (Boston butt) or pork shoulder
Liquid smoke
4 tablespoons kosher salt
Kitchen twine
Hawaiian alaea salt
If you have a clay roaster, soak it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Set several ti leaves on a clean work surface, arranging them to overlap slightly and setting them all in the same direction. Arrange a second layer, setting them at a right angle to the first layer.
Put the pork roast on a separate clean work surface and use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of liquid smoke. Rub the salt all over the pork.
Set the pork on top of the tea leaves and wrap the leaves around the pork, adding more leaves as necessary to completely envelop the pork. Tuck the leaves where they are needed and don’t worry too much about making a perfectly uniform, neat package. Use kitchen twine to tie the leaves in place tightly.
Set the wrapped pork in a clay roaster or deep roasting pan and add enough water, pouring carefully at the side of the pan and not over the pork, to come up the pork about 1/4 inch. Cover the roasted or pan with its lid or seal it tightly with aluminum foil.
Set in the oven and cook 5 hours, or until the pork falls apart when pressed.
Remove the pork in its pot from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes and as long as 30 minutes. Carefully lift the pork out of the pot and set it on a large serving platter. Snip the twine and unwrap the leaves. Use two large forks to pull the pork into pieces. Sprinkle very lightly with Hawaiian salt and serve.
Grilled Steak with Teriyaki-inspired Orange Sauce
Serves 3 to 4
Teriyaki was introduced to California via Hawaii and there was a time--the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s--when it was eaten almost everywhere. It remains popular, though it is most common these days in Japanese restaurants and throughout Hawaii. Although it is not traditional, I often add orange juice to my teriyaki for the layer of flavor it contributes.
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup (from 1 to 2 oranges) freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 pounds hanger steak, culotte steak or chuck steak
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon orange flower water, optional
Combine the soy sauce, sherry, orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red pepper in a small sauce pan set over medium heat. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
Put the steak into a large freezer bag and pour about two-thirds of the sauce into the bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal it securely and then massage the steak so that the sauce is in contact with every bit of it. Set on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and as long as overnight.
Refrigerate the remaining sauce in a covered container.
To prepare the steak, remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Remove the steak from the bag and wipe off as much of the sauce as possible.
Heat a stovetop or outdoor grill and when it is hot cook the steak for about 90 seconds and then rotate it 90 degrees. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn, cook for 90 seconds and rotate 90 degrees. This rotation creates attractive grill marks on the meat. Continue to cook until the meat reaches medium rare, about 130 degrees, or your preferred temperature.
Transfer the steak to a plate, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
While the steak rests, heat the reserved sauce and when it is hot, swirl in the butter. As soon as it melts, remove from the heat and add the orange flower water, if using.
Brush the steak with a little of the heated sauce, cut into thin crosswise slices, arrange on a platter or individual plates and serve with the remaining sauce alongside.
Thai Green Papaya Salad
Serves 4
6 to 8 Thai chiles, each cut into 3 or 4 pieces
8 garlic cloves, each cut into 2 or 3 pieces
2 tablespoons small dried shrimp
1 cup cut (1 1/2-inch pieces) long beans or green beans
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 cups julienned green papaya
1/3 cup fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons palm sugar, thinned with 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Put the chiles and garlic into a large mortar, preferably one made of clay, and pound into a paste.
If the mortar is small, work in two batches.
Add the shrimp and beans and pound with the pestle to bruise them. Stir well so that the shrimp and beans absorb the flavors of the garlic and chiles.
Add the cherry tomatoes and pound lightly
Add the papaya, pound lightly and stir thoroughly.
Add the lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar and toss the ingredients together, pounding a bit with the pestle, as well.
Taste and adjust the acid and salt with more lime juice and more fish sauce as needed.
Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts and serve.
Hawaiian Potato-Mac Salad
Serves 8 to 10
Mac salad and potato-mac salad are ubiquitous in Hawaii. If you get Hawaiian plate lunch, it will be part of it. If you attend a luau, expect to find it. Often it comes with steamed white rice alongside. It’s one of those things that is clearly not extraordinary on its own and it certainly won’t get a restaurant that serves it an extra star. But it has that indescribable taste of place, an authenticity that will evoke Hawaii with the first mouthful if you’ve ever eaten it on, say, Big Island, with the sound of the sea and swaying palms in the distance and a few guys in Hawaiian shirts playing ukulele nearby.
Kosher salt
1 pound dried salad pasta, preferably elbow macaroni
3 large (about 2 1/2 pounds) potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 onion, cut into small dice
4 celery stalks, cut into small dice
1 cup California black olives, chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
3 cups Best Foods mayonnaise, plus more as needed
Black pepper in a mill
Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full with water, add a tablespoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir until the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the pasta is tender. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cool water. Drain thoroughly and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, put the diced potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water by two inches, add a tablespoon of kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a bamboo skewer; do not over cook. Drain, rinse and spread on a baking sheet to cool.
To finish the salad, toss the macaroni and potatoes together in a large salad bowl. Add the onion, celery and olives and toss again. Add the eggs and the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. The salad should be very moist; if it seems dry, add more mayonnaise. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes before serving.