Things got a little fishy around here yesterday. Our morning began at 5:30 a.m. when we were picked up by a bus and driven out to the Honolulu Fish Auction to see the bidding in action.
We were all instructed to wear close-toed shoes and though I wore my red TOMS, I opted to wear my shoes inside of a pair of giant rubber boots because I was afraid the fabric would soak up the fishy water around the pier and inside the fish market. They were quite snazzy!
When we arrived, we were greeted by the program manager of the Hawaii Seafood Council who took our group on a tour and explained a bit more about the fishing and auction process.
Hawaii Seafood is sustainable seafood and the fisherman pride themselves on fishing in an ethical manner. The fish are hook and line caught and the boats do not use gill nets, trawl nets or seine nets. The program manager was very passionate about the regulation and transparency of the fishing process and told some pretty disturbing stories about some other fisheries and their business practices.
I found the fish auction itself very interesting and enjoyed learning about how fish makes it from the ocean to markets, restaurants and grocery stores.
During the auction, which begins at 5:30 a.m., large fish are individually sold to bidders. Little pieces of the fish are cut from just above the fish’s tail so bidders are able to examine the colors and oil content of the fish before placing a bid, allowing higher quality fish to be sold for higher prices. The auction allows fisherman to collect payment on the same day they make their catch, while providing the freshest fish possible to bidders.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served at Nco’s at Pier 38 and featured eggs, fresh tuna caught that morning, breakfast fried rice and pastries.
I had a bit of everything and loved the fresh fish and breakfast fried rice. I spoke to Chef Nico after we were done eating and he said he’ll send me his recipe for breakfast fried rice to share with you guys. It would be the perfect unique dish for a big, family brunch and I’ll be sure to share it once it’s in my hands.
Farm Tours
The rest of our activities for the day included tours of local farms, including:
- MA’O Farms: Organic farm with a large focus on educating the youth of Hawaii and taking care of the land
- Kahumana: Organic farm that manages transitional housing for families and serves the developmentally disabled population
- Naked Cow Dairy: Run by women; The only dairy farm in Oahu
The farm tours were really educational. We were able to speak directly with the farmers, ask questions, try vegetables right out of the ground and more. 
I tried a Japanese turnip and fresh herbs from MA’O farms that were incredible. Fun fact: Michelle Obama visited MA’O farms in the past!
I loved seeing boxes full of fresh, organic produce heading for local Oahu restaurants to be used by chefs that day!
From farm to table in one day. Not too shabby.
The majority of our time at Kahumana was spent eating a fresh, four-course lunch.
The best beet soup:
Fresh salad from organic greens from the farm:
Veggie burger and rice plate:
And passion fruit cheesecake:
Eating a four course meal in the middle of the day was a lot of fun. I cleared my plate during every course but the veggie burger course and immediately felt sleepy. The food was too good to pass up, but eating such a large meal at lunch made me feel ready for a nap!
I rallied once we got to the dairy farm and saw the adorable calves.
They were too cute!
While at the farm, we sampled some of their fresh and aged cheeses. Even with my full belly, I couldn’t turn down the cheese and it was so, so good.
Another fun day in Oahu!
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Was the veggieburger not good? I’m usually a huge fan of them..looks a great time in Oahu!! Enjoy!!:)
I want to go to a fish auction so much! Something about that concept seems so awesome to me. I would love to be the person that gets to attend those and do the purchasing, but I would imagine it would get a bit stressful. And that cheese! My goodness I want to go on a tour like this…
What a fun day! The food looks so good!
Wow! Looks like such an awesome day! I’m glad you guys are having so much fun and soaking up all there is to offer.
This sounds like so much fun. I’ll have to do a farm tour of some of our nearby farms.
You are in Oahu!!! So jealous of you Julie! The calves are adorable- I want one 😛
I’m born and raised and currently live in Oahu, Hawaii. I didn’t even know MA’O farms did a tour! I’d have to check it out. Nicos has great food and is a local favorite here. Have fun!
Must’ve just missed you on the pier. I work at Uncle’s Fish Market & Grill… the restaurant right across from Nico’s. 🙂
Love the whellies!
What an awesome trip! You got to do things most tourists wouldn’t do in Hawaii! And I love the boots, I so would have gotten some too!
I had no idea weeklies could be so big that Toms could fit inside them! Do you always wear a second pair if shoes inside your rain boots?
It’s so great to see everything so fresh from farm to table — talk about sustainable! The auction sounds super interesting and the food looked amazing! Oh, and love the boots!! 🙂
How fun!! Sounds like you and Ryan are making the most of the vacation! 🙂
Those boots are sexy, clearly. :-p
That looks like it’d be a really interesting tour!
omg those calves are so cute. My family has a black lab and I always compare her to a little cow — because that’s what she is! Glad you guys are enjoying yourselves!
That cheese looks so delicious! The calves are pretty cute too.
I still can’t get over how good the food in Hawaii looks… so bright and so fresh!
I cannot believe what a wonderful opportunity you were given to travel and learn about a different culture.
I would have been a little skeeved at the fish market (the smell of fish makes me queasy) but the farms look AMAZING! I would have loved to visit those!
What a fun time! The food looks amazing!
So awesome! Which cheese was the best? Also, that looks like the craziest, most awesome veggie burger plate!
Love the idea of having rice for breakfast. I’ve been meaning to have it, but just keep forgetting and usually eat it at lunch. Definitely share the recipe when you get it! I need easy meals I can prepare for groups and brunch is my favorite meal to make. 🙂
Those boots. Yes!
The fish auction looks amazing! I would be tempted to buy a fish for myself! I saw one of the boxes of produce for restaurants was for Roy’s. I have been to Roy’s in Maui and they have excellent food also. Can’t for the fried rice recipe, once you get it.
Looks like fun! I know what you mean about getting sleepy after a satisfying meal haha!
Oh my lord, look at all that cheese! I need some of that in my life right now, and I’m not even a cheese fan!
Glad to see you two lovebirds are having an amazing vacation. 🙂
I’m SO curious, what was the red fruit-looking thing on your salad plate? It is in the picture titled, “Fresh salad from organic greens from the farm:” I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it!
they told us it was a hawaiian cherry. i LOVED it. it was sweet, but slighty sour.
Did you go through a tour company? Or how did you sign up for the tour? My parents would love to do this. Any info you could pass along would be great!
Aloha ,I also would like to know how did You sign up for this tour ,please let me know .Mahalo