Grilled Opah Fish Tacos

The right place at the right time…Whole Foods has a great sale on Opah going on now, almost half-off!! I haven’t tasted Opah, nor have I cooked with Opah. But I love fish steaks – and these are some of the most beautiful fish steaks I have ever seen.

What is Opah??

Opah is found mainly in the vicinity of Hawaii & Japan. Also known as Moonfish, it is slightly sweet, very mild, buttery in texture & holds up perfectly to grilling. I love talking with the fishmonger, he answered all my questions – how best to cook, how best to season & exactly what flavor to expect. So even though I have never prepared or tasted Opah, I left the store with a good sense of direction.

I decided to lightly season the fish, making a distinct effort NOT to over season — the fish needed to shine (not the seasoning). So I grabbed some canola oil, some Hawaiian Black Lava sea salt and a Meyer lemon & peppercorn seasoning blend and started prepping these Opah steaks for the grill.

The key with grilling fish (David uses a Weber with charcoal) is to:

• spray the grill grate with non-stick spray coating

• grill each side for only 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish steak

• flip the fish over when is easily releases from the grill grate. If you still feel resistance when you try to flip, wait a few seconds and try again

This particular fish can be served medium to medium rare & that is how we prepared it. Just check with your fishmonger or google for specific instructions if you choose a different fish species.

The fish turned out absolutely perfect…I served it with tasty grilled asparagus & flash-pickled slaw. And one thing led to the next, and I turned the whole thing into grilled fish tacos. I topped it with my newest favorite: Avocado Chili-Lime Buttermilk Dressing. I felt like we entered a little taco shop tucked away somewhere on the Kona Coast. (((OHHH – HOW I WISH!!!))) It was amazing.

Dear Opah Fish Taco, will you marry me?