Firsts

This was a dinner full of firsts: 1) first time cooking butterfish at home, 2) first attempt to make a purple potato salad, and 3) first time making spinach miso soup. Misoyaki butterfish is very big here in Hawaii - most Japanese restaurants seem to have it on their menu - but I just stewed the fish in a very typical Japanese sauce with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Very soft fish and very kind flavor. Will try the miso flavoring next time for fun. I've written before about how purple potatoes are everywhere here and I use them a lot in my cooking. We had a delicious sweet purple potato salad at a luau we went to last month, so I thought I would try my own version. It was a little crumbly, not quite sweet enough, and nothing special. Ideas for next time - look for a more sweet looking recipe, use more mayo, add some shrimp. Finally, the spinach miso soup with fried bean curd and tofu is a combination that my mom does often. I usually lean more towards onions and potatoes, but I was so happy to eat spinach like this today that I think I should do this combo more often.