Kahawai The People’s Fish

Kahawai The People’s Fish – A Celebration of one of New Zealand’s most popular recreational fish

By Gerard Hindmarsh – recipes by Melanie Walker

Kahawail means ‘strong in the water.” Long sought after by Maori, these beautiful, fighting fish are second only to snapper as New Zealand’s most caught recreational fish species. You can still readily catch kahawai from the shore and at tidal river mouths, with a bag limit of 20 fish landed no minimum size, while out on the water “work-ups” the feeding frenzies where huge numbers of this fish go wild chasing prey, are legend among fishers. It’s all here in Kahawai The People’s Fish.

Kahawai The Peoples Fish is Gerard Hindmarsh’s celebration of this often under-appreciated fish. With history, information on biology and behaviour, plenty of fishing stories, vital tips on how best to catch them, and details on how to prepare them for eating and smoking, this book will tell you everything you need to know about kahawai.

But perhaps one of the most useful and attractive aspects of this book is over 30 recipes from Melanie Walker. Kahawai deserves a better reputation as an eating fish, as prepared properly, it is delicious. These recipes cover everything from using smoked kahawai, to how to prepare risottos and fish cakes.

Kahawai truly is the people’s fish, and this book is the complete guide for all New Zealand fishers, boaties, foodies and anyone else who appreciates and treasures our marine environment.

Gerard Hindmarsh was born in Wellington in 1957. He has fished for kahawai for as long as he can remember. His interest in the fish only intensified after he moved to Golden Bay in 1976, and he still looks forward to their migratory influx every spring and summer.

His previous books are Angelina: From Stromboli to D’Urville Island – A Family’s Story, Swamp Fever – A Golden Bay Memoir, Kahurangi Calling, and Outsiders.

After graduating from Victoria University in 1979, Melanie Walker became a teacher before turning her focus to artistic and culinary endeavours, writing and illustrating The Amrita Cook Book, which was published by the Lotus Yoga Centre in Wellington. She cooked in several other Wellington restaurants and cafés before settling in Golden Bay where she has worked at a combination of wedding catering
and art teaching.

Kahawai The Peoples Fish was published by Potton and Burton in 2015. 200pp.