Lindy’s Ono Recipes

Yes, its actually something edible ! Namako (sea cucumber) is a delicacy that my hubby truly enjoys. It is very hard to come by and he is so happy when his Aunty from Molokai gives him some of this ‘valuable’ namako.

On one of our past trips to Molokai, I learned that you catch these sea cucumbers at night near the pier. You can use a net and scoop them out of the water when you spot them with a keen eye. They are usually blackish or dark brown and looks rather gross …. well, that’s my opinion! Anyway, right after you catch one, you need to ice it in a cooler, otherwise they actually melt. After we are satisfied with our catch of a few of these creatures, we take them home, where Aunty immediately cleans them under cold running water and soaks it in lemon juice or vinegar. This will make the blackish sea cucumber a lighter color that looks a lot more pleasing to the eye ! It is then frozen till you want to prepare it for pupu.

This is the prepared namako which consists of grated daikon, sugar, rice vinegar, a little salt, and some slivers of ginger. I use a cucumber (not sea cucumber ..haha) namasu recipe and add it to a lot of grated daikon. The actual namako doesn’t really have much taste. I think people just like the texture of chewing on those slippery pieces till it melts in your mouth.

I must confess that I don’t eat it …. I just make it for my hubby! I guess I am a little squeamish with these slippery little suckers !