I
walked around all day on Sunday proclaiming ‘Musubi!"

Donning
my Hawaiian shirt and an apron, it was a fitting exclamation to another
successful party at the Yacht Club.

An
event held to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Ocean Pines, an opportunity for
the ribbon cutting for the new and improved pool facility, and a kickoff of
sorts into the new club, it went off with barely a hitch.

On
the menu for an incredibly reasonable price was fresh wahoo and tuna, katsu
chicken, pineapple chicken, Kalua pork, chicken long rice, homemade coconut
custard, Poke salad, mocha-nut brownies, sweet potato salad and more. 

But
I would be remiss of my duties if I did not talk about my two favorite foods of
the day — seared tuna and Musubi.

Musubi
is not only one of my favorite words to say loudly, but if made correctly it is
also one of the greatest Hawaiian lunch items that I experienced during my
brief time on the island.

Musubi,
put simply, is Spam Sushi. I know, I know;  Spam?

Yes,
Spam. I have never purchased Spam on purpose during my adult life unless it is
in the presence of three things; Royal Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, sushi rice and nori
seaweed for wrapping it all up.

Following
the recipe below, you will come to appreciate the only manner in which Spam is
utterly delectable.

As
for the tuna, we were fortunate enough to find two whole fish and break them
down in-house.  Since I am one who is
an amateur practitioner in the art of sushi, I used a spoon to scrape the meat
off of the bones in order to make spicy tuna rolls for everyone.

When
all was said and done and the music died down, we were pleased with another
milestone in the transition from the old club to the new.

Aloha,
old club.  Until we meet again.

Seared Fresh
Tuna

Whole fresh tuna loin

Hawaiian sea salt

Pepper melange (see below)

Oil, as needed

1.    
Preheat a pan. Cast iron is great, or a griddle is
even better since it will accommodate the loin.

2.    
Brush the loin with the oil and season liberally
with salt and pepper.

3.    
Sear the tuna on all sides until it is medium
rare in the center.  If you want to
take it higher, then cook it to your liking.

4.    
Let the tuna sit, or slack, for a few minutes
and then serve by slicing off anything from thin slices to thick slabs, to
preference.

5.    
Serve with Royal Hawaiian BBQ Sauce if you can
find it. Otherwise, scour the web for a decent Hawaiian barbecue sauce recipe.
There are plenty out there.

makes 1 cup

1/3 cup black peppercorns

1/3 cup white peppercorns

1/3 cup Szechuan peppercorns

1.    
Combine the peppercorns well and place in an
airtight jar. .The white and Szechuan peppercorns add a distinctly spicy kick
so use them judiciously.

2.    
When you are ready to use, toast a small amount
in a dry pan until you can smell the sweet and peppery aromas waft from the pan.

Musubi

Makes about 12
pieces

1 small can Spam

2-3 cups sushi rice, cooked

Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, as needed

2 slices nori, cut into 12 long strips

1.    
Slice the Spam into 6 slices and then cut them
in half to make 12 rectangles.

2.    
Shallow fry the Spam in a touch of oil until it
is brown. Cool to room temperature.

3.    
When ready to assemble, smear the bottom of a
piece of Spam with the BBQ sauce and place on top of a compacted ball of sushi
rice.

4.    
Push down and make it nice and neat.

5.    
Wet a strip of nori laying flat on a work
surface.

6.    
Place the bundle on top
and wrap tightly.