Christmas time is a time to share and care! The tradition of Christmas was in Hawaii even before the Protestants arrived - come celebrate the way the Islands do!
In ancient times, Christmas coincided with a traditional Hawaiian festival called Makahiki. For four months the islands celebrated which included great feasts and games. During this time, wars and conflicts were strictly forbidden. As far as the early Hawaiians were concerned, the Makahiki was their time for “peace on earth and goodwill toward men.”
Christmas wasn’t formally introduced to Hawaii until the Protestant missionaries came from New England after 1820.Though, the first Christmas celebration in Hawaii is believed to have occurred in 1786, when Captain George Dixon, docked aboard the Queen Charlotte in Waimea Bay on Kauai, commanded his crew to prepare a Christmas dinner that included roasted pig, pie and grog mixed with coconut milk. The English navigator then led his men in toasts to their families and friends back home. Following that, in 1856, Alexander Liholiho (King Kamehameha IV) declared December 25 to be his kingdom’s national day of Thanksgiving. Two years later, Santa Claus made his first appearance in Hawaii, arriving at Washington Place (now the governor’s residence) to deliver gifts for the children.
Today, there’s no bigger Christmas celebration than “Honolulu City Lights,” a favorite holiday spectacle put on by the City & County of Honolulu. Held at Honolulu Hale (City Hall), “Honolulu City Lights” features a 50-foot Norfolk pine Christmas tree (pictured above), elaborate Christmas tree and wreath exhibits, giant Yuletide displays and live entertainment!
Planning your trip? Consider a deep sea fishing excursion
Bake or Grill your marlin with some Aloha Spirit! Try this easy recipe with the next big Marlin you catch
Cut Blue Marlin into 4 x 7 oz 3/4 in. thick each
marinade:
1/2 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
19 oz pineapple pieces, with juice
Preparation
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade.
Marinate the marlin steaks in a glass dish in the refrigarator for 2 hours.
Drain the fish steaks.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Bake for 8 to10 minutes.
Or
Preheat the barbecue to medium heat.
Place marlin on a sheet of aluminium foil or in a fish broiler.
Cook the fish for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Spice up your dinner with a zesty flavored Mahi Mahi
Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi
Ingredients
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.
Footnotes
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.
for more information on catching Mahi Mahi, follow the link!
Often times we get requests on the best way to prepare and cook your catch - here is one of our favorites
Marlin Kabob
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Marlin steak, cut in squares
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
salt
15 cherry tomatoes
12 whole mushrooms
1 yellow pepper, cut in squares
1 green pepper, cut in squares
1. Combine basil, oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in blender or food processor. Process until smooth. The result should be a brushable sauce - add 1 Tbsp water if too thick
2. Alternate fish and vegetables on skewers. Brush on all sides with sauce
3. Place on a hot grill and cook until fish flakes easily, about 5 minutes each side
For more information
Ever caught a beautiful Ono? Not sure what to do with that amazing flavored meat?
Grilled Wahoo with Pineapple Butter Marinade
6 TBS melted butter (3/4 stick)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/8 cup soy sauce
2 TBS. lime juice
5 cloves garlic
5 cherry tomatoes
1 mild hot pepper
fresh herbs (I used sage, thyme and parsley)
black pepper
STEP 1: Mince all of the hard ingredients.
STEP 2: Melt the butter on the stovetop in a metal baking pan. Add the remaining diced ingredients, raise the heat, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and cool for 10 minutes.
STEP 3: Now add your wahoo steaks and marinade for about 20 minutes.
STEP 4: Fire up the grill - Start the steaks skin side up, and grill about 4 minutes (Continuously baste them with the additional marinade.)
for more information on catching Ono
If you're in Hawaii on our Nations Birthday we have compiled a list of firework shows for you that you could attend after that successful day of fishing!
July 3
Kauai
Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands
4 p.m. entertainment, 9:45 p.m. fireworks
Free and open to the public with photo ID
July 4
Oahu
Ala Moana Beach Park
8:30 p.m. fireworks (preview)
Tune into KSSK for the soundtrack
Kailua Beach Park
6 p.m. airshow, 8 p.m. fireworks
USS Missouri
6 p.m. picnic, 9 p.m. fireworks
admission required
Turtle Bay Resort
8:30 p.m. fireworks
Maui
Lahaina
Front St.
4 p.m. block party, 8 p.m. fireworks
Kauai
Lihue
Vidinha Soccer Field
4 p.m. entertainment, 8:35 p.m. fireworks
admission required
Big Island
Hilo Bay Blast at Bayfront
9 a.m.-9 p.m., 8 p.m. fireworks
Kailua-Kona
5:30 p.m. parade, 8 p.m. fireworks
Waikoloa Beach Resort
10 a.m.-9:30 p.m., 8 p.m. fireworks
For more information
Located about 10 minutes from the heart of Waikiki sits Kewalo Basin Harbor. Kewalo has a history rooted in the art of fishing, and was traditionally the heart of a bustling fishing village in Kaka‘ako. On June 10, 1970, the largest marlin caught rod-and-reel in the world was caught by Captain Cornelius Choy off of Kewalo Harbor, weighing in at 1,805 pounds. The marlin was dubbed “Choy’s Monster” and continues to hold the record today. In honor of Choy’s Monster, Kewalo Harbor introduces the Kewalo Harbor Big Fish Chase. The base entry will be split evenly among the largest marlin, ahi, ono and mahimahi and the guaranteed $10,000 purse is split amongst the largest marlin, ahi, ono, and mahimahi.
2015 – Schedule of Events
June 5th 6PM – Pupus, Registration and Team Briefing at IBM Building – 1240 Ala Moana Blvd. – Honolulu.
June 6th 7AM to 4PM – Fishing
June 6th 4PM to 6:30 PM – Weigh in and Pau Hana
June 7th 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM – Awards and Mahalo Brunch
