FRIED MACKEREL (AKULE)

This is a story of a time when Uncle Al Dasugo came to the rescue when we were freeking famished to the max! It was right after high school a few years actually, and we were working the morning shift at Foot Locker, me, Ben, Chris, and Dane. Of course can't forget our manager Rudy. and it was one of those days us local Hawaii boys were craving local food, but not the watered down food court in the mall kind. Nope, had to have the real stuff.

"Cuz I hungry," says Chris. "I tired of Burger King, and that Greek place, I like eat real local grines!"

Dane was wiping the fixtures down, "Ah...." was all he could muster.

"Eh, Chris go drive  to Zushi's," says Ben. Zushi's is a Japanese place, a hole in the wall in Lahaina Square, home of the world famous, Deep Fried Chicken Teri, mac salad, rice, and miso soup.

"Yeah Chris, go drive and order us some food from Zushi," says Rudy. I just agreed with Rudy.

Then all of a sudden, we see Uncle Al Dasugo, local grines King, delivers great local foods to places easy to get to. What? Is this a dream come true? Uncle Al makes some awesome Squid Luau, Luau Stew, Dry Mein, and of course when Summer comes rolling along, it's Akule time. (Ah Koo Leh) which is a Big Eyed Scad, a mackerel if you will.

"Eh guys, I get fried Akule today, with garlic, ginger and shoyu, you guys like buy? And get poi too."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? FRIED AKULE? GARLIC, GINGER, SHOYU AND POI?!!!!!

In unison, we all said, "SHOOT UNCLE AL, WE LIKE BUY, CAN BRING EM DOWN?"

Uncle Al coached local kids in basketball and volleyball, me, Ben, Chris, and Dane all was his pupils at one time or another, we were all different ages. But in this Lahaina town, we all were like brothers, cousins, it was a small town, we took care of each other, too bad the food from Uncle Al wasn't free, well Uncle Al needed gas in his van, can't give food away for free

And check this out, this is what the plate looked like.
1. two scoops of hot white sticky Cal Rose medium grain rice, steamed to perfection. (You foodies that want to know local grines? The rice needs to be perfect, so that you could eat it on its own)
2. the Akule was crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside, it is like a mini tuna. Raw Akule is awesome too, with chili pepper water, and ginger, green onions, awesome! And Uncle Al, the chef that he is, had 3 fish in the plate, did I say 3? Yes 3, and that's a meal baby! And the sauce he concoted, though simple, was right on the money! Perfecto, cherry to da T.
3. He had a killer macaroni salad, simple, some onions, some tuna, and Best Foods Mayo.
4. And the poi was store bought, but it was okay, because the meal was fresh, the fish was just caught by his cousins the day before, talk about fresh!

So, that was our Akule experience, as we ate, the smell of the fish went out into the sales floor but we didn't give a rat's ass! We ate, we had fun, and Chris was flying the fish bones into the trash can like he was shooting 3 pointers. Wow! Life's greatest things are so simple. So be the food, simple and ono!

Notice the picture below, the Akule looks like a small tuna right? Look he has big eyes, hence the name Big Eyed Scad. Angled pectoral fins, even tail fins, a couple of dorsals, man this is a beauty!