The Delectable Fish of Hawai`i

Nâ I`a `Ono Loa o Hawai`i
The Delectable Fish of Hawai`i

Hawai`i has the freshest, most delectable fish in the world. Whether at home, the market, or in local restaurants, most fishes are known by their Hawaiian names. If you ask for fish using mainland terminology (e.g., pink snapper, wahoo, or albacore) at a Hawaiian restaurant or fish market, you may get back a blank stare and worse, you'll miss out on ordering some terrific fish.

Add these to your dining vocabulary, and you'll be ordering like a fish connoisseur without slaughtering the Hawaiian pronunciation:

Hawaiian Pronunciation Guide

`ahi [ah' hee]	Refers to two species: yellowfin tuna Photo and in-depth description big eye tuna Photo and in-depth description	Thunnus obesus Thunnus albacares Very popular, often served raw as "sashimi" (sliced raw fish, Japanese-style) and poke (chunked, marinated raw fish, Hawaiian-style.
aku [ah' koo]	skipjack tuna, bonito Photo and in-depth description	Katsuwonis pelamis Deep red and stronger tasting than `ahi. Often served as sashimi, poke, or cooked. According to Hawaiian legend, ancient Polynesian canoe voyagers enroute to Hawai`i were nearly swamped in a storm. A school of aku, in response to prayers, appeared and calmed the waters.
akule [ah koo' leh]	big-eyed or goggle-eyed scad fish	Trachurops crumenophthalmus Delicious when fried, baked, smoked, or dried; halalû is the young of akule.
`ama`ama [ah' mah ah' mah]	mullet	Mugil cephalus A choice indigenous fish. Fig., an easy mark (slang).
a`u [ah' oo] Name applies to all marlin species caught in Hawai`i.	Pacific blue marlin, billfish Photo and in-depth description	Makaira nigricans Known as "kajiki" in Japanese. A`u was feared by the ancient Hawaiians as it could pierce (and swamp) a fishing canoe with its heavy bill.
awa [ah' vah]	milkfish	Chanos chanos Known as "bangus" in Filipino.
`âweoweo [AH' veh (y)oh veh (y)oh]	various species of red fish, sometimes called big eye	With little/soft bones, much desired for feeding young children and the elderly.
enenue [eh' neh noo' (w)eh] nenue [neh noo' (w)eh] manaloa [mah' nah loh' (w)ah]	chub, rudder or pilot fish	Kyphosus bigibbus / vaigiensis Much desired by Hawaiians because of its strong limu (seaweed) aroma of its flesh; usually eaten raw.
kala [kah' lah]	unicorn fish	Naso hexocanthus Flesh is fragrant with limu lipoa (a kind of Hawaiian seaweed).
kûmû [KOO' MOO']	goatfish	Parupeneus porphyreus Red reef fish, mild and delicate white flesh. Fig., good-looking, handsome, esp. of a sweetheart (slang).
mahimahi [mah' hee mah' hee]	dolphin fish (unrelated to the mammal) Photo and in-depth description	Coryphaena hippurus Gamefish; firm pink to white, delicately flavored meat. Best fresh, often available frozen.
manini [mah nee' nee]	common striped reef surgeonfish, convict tang	Acanthurus triostegus Bony, but tasty. Slang for stingy, after the transliterated name of parsimonious Father Marin.
moano [moh (w)ah' noh] moana [moh (w)ah' nah]	goatfish	Parupeneus multifasciatus Fish with delicate white meat.
moi [moi]	threadfish	Polydactylus sexfilis Young is moi li`i (little moi); much esteemed for food; a large school was an omen of disaster for chiefs.
`ô`io [OH' ee (y)oh]	lady fish, bonefish	Albula vulpes Eaten either raw or mixed with limu kohu (seaweed) as poke or used to make steamed fish cake.
ono [oh' noh]	large mackerel type fish, known as wahoo in Florida and Caribbean, an open ocean fish Photo and in-depth description	Acanthocybium solandri Choice eating fish with white, delicate, flaky meat. The Hawaiian word for "delicious" is `ono. Ono (no `okina, a diacritical mark) is the fish, and ono is `ono! The ancient Hawaiians said that the ono was the parent of the `ôpelu, a mackerel scad, a fish of great importance to the subsistence living of the early Hawaiians. Early European explorers found ono to be plentiful off the island of O`ahu. Wahoo, the common mainland name for this fish is thought to originate from the misspelling of O`ahu on maps as "Wahoo."
opah [oh' pah]	moonfish, an open ocean fish Photo and in-depth description	Lampris regius A good luck fish, oldtimers would give it away as a gesture of goodwill, rather than sell it.
`ôpakapaka [OH' pah kah pah kah]	Hawaiian pink ruby snapper, crimson snapper Photo and in-depth description	Pristipomoides filamentosus Delicious baked, fried, broiled, or as "sashimi" (sliced raw fish, Japanese-style) with a delicate flavor and moist meat. Often featured as "the catch of the day".
`ôpelu [OH' peh loo]	mackerel skad	Decapterus pinnulatus and D. maruadsi An `aumakua (guardian spirit) for some kânaka maoli (indigenous people of Hawai`i).
poke [poh' keh] Not: [poe' key]	traditional Hawaiian dish made of chunked raw fish Photo of a poke platter	Marinated in pa`akai (Hawaiian salt), limu (seaweed), kukui (candlenut) and chilies. Mmmmmm! Click here for a recipe for Seared Poke.
uhu [oo' hoo]	parrot fish	Scarus perspicillatus Plant eaters with strong beak-like teeth.
uku [oo' koo]	deep sea gray snapper, jobfish Photo and in-depth description	Aprion virescens
`ula `ula [oo' lah oo' lah] Applies to various red snappers.	Ruby snapper, longtail snapper Photo and in-depth description	Etelis coruscans More commonly known by its Japanese name, "onaga". A bottom fish caught in deep waters.
ulua [oo loo' (w)ah]	Certain species of crevalle, jack, or pompano	Important game fish and food item; pâpio is the young of ulua. Fig., a sweetheart.
`û`û [OO' OO']	variety of soldier fish	Myripristis `Aumakua (guardian spirit) for some; red reef fish with big eyes. Known as menpachi in Japanese.
weke [veh' keh]	goatfish	Mullidae sp. Fish with large scales; used as offerings to the gods to turn away curses; `oama is the young of weke.