“Amazing” Kona Kampachi Served to Obamas
With accolades pouring in from the culinary community nationwide, Kona Kampachi - the Hawaiian yellowtail fish sustainably raised by Kona Blue Water Farms – is emerging as the new “it” fish for chefs and consumers committed to sourcing sustainable seafood.
The premium, sashimi-grade fish was even recently served to President Obama and his family by private chef Stephen Butler while the Obamas were on vacation in Hawai’i.
“I have to say that Kona Kampachi is the most amazing fish I’ve ever worked with,” said Chef Butler.
“It has such a beautiful clean, rich taste that preparation can be very simple. I took sashimi slices with drizzled chili oil, lightly steamed it and finished it with seared ginger, green onions, micro cilantro and ponzu. It was awesome, and a huge hit with the Obama family.” (Chef Butler’s recipe is at www.kona-blue.com.)
No longer a popular menu item only in culinary centers on the East and West coasts, Kona Kampachi has been increasingly showing up on high-profile chefs’ menus in a dazzling variety of both raw and cooked applications..Growing awareness of Kona Kampachi® in America’s heartland is evidenced by its being named on Top Culinary Trends lists in the Chicago Sun Times and Rocky Mountain News. And in recognition of its enthusiastic embrace by the nation’s top chefs, Kona Kampachi® has recently been honored with a nod from Food Arts magazine, who designated it a “Fish of the Year.”
Kona Kampachi has been enthusiastically welcomed by chefs and consumers who are increasingly concerned about the safety and sustainability of their seafood. Kona Blue raises Kona Kampachi in an environmentally sound manner from hatch to harvest, with no depletion of wild fish stocks. The fish are grown in submersible cages in pristine water over 200 feet deep with strong currents, so that there is no detectable environmental impact. Kona Kampachi is rich in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, and with no detectable mercury or contaminants, is safe for unlimited consumption even by children and pregnant women.
“We’re very pleased with the milestones met this past year, not the least of which is the “Good Alternative” rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program for “US farmed yellowtail,” said Mike Wink, Kona Blue CEO (Kona Kampachi is the only US farmed yellowtail, but MBA does not endorse specific brands or products). “Our company, as well as our distributor, restaurant and retail customers, are all faced with daunting challenges going into 2009, but we remain thoroughly committed to continuing our drive towards total sustainability in producing this remarkable fish. Our customers expect no less.”
Kona Kampachi is a premium, versatile Hawaiian yellowtail endorsed by top chefs nationwide. A healthy fish with among the highest levels of Omega 3s and no detectable amounts of mercury, Kona Kampachi is a top quality sashimi-grade fish with no additives, genetic engineering or hormones. From the leader in eco-friendly aquaculture, Kona Kampachi provides numerous environmental benefits as it is raised by marine biologists at Kona Blue Water Farms in deep open-ocean off the Kona, Hawaii coast. Sustainably grown from hatch to harvest, there is no depletion of wild fish stocks nor measurable environmental impact on water quality or coral reefs. Kona Blue, the first sustainable operation in the United States to grow fish in the open ocean from an integrated hatchery, is committed to building an environmentally sustainable future through marine fish hatchery technology, sustainable feeds, and open ocean aquaculture.
