Paia Fishmarket – Waikiki, Honolulu

Fresh fish is gluten free. No surprises there. But I find it striking how often restaurants specialised in seafood do not cater well to celiacs. You can imagine that the desire to eat fresh fish is fuelled when you are on the beautiful island of Oahu, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Luckily, there is Paia Fishmarket. A popular seafood restaurant in the Waikiki neighbourhood of Honolulu. Although they are not dedicated gluten free, and do not even mark gluten on their online menu, the staff is pretty knowledgeable and they can take you through the menu.

The fresh catch plates are the way to go here. How much it’ll cost you varies as the plates are based on market prices, but you start with your choice of fish. They have mahi mahi, ono, snapper, ahi, and salmon. Then you tell them your desired preparation: charbroiled, sautéed (in butter, garlic, wine, and lemon), Cajun style (rolled in fresh Cajun spice and then charbroiled) or blackened (Cajun style in an iron skillet). Lastly, you select whether you want it with Cajun rice, home potatoes, or rice and home potatoes. They also have fries, but if I remember correctly these are not safe to eat as a celiac.

I ordered the salmon, blackened, and with Cajun rice. The fresh catch plates also come with hand-cut crunchy coleslaw and fresh tartar sauce. It really is just a great way to eat fresh fish. The waiting time can be a bit long at Paia Fishmaket as it is a really busy place, so be prepared for that. I had it to go and there was already a line when I arrived. I had to wait outside with others until our order was ready, but they have a bench where you can sit and do a bit of people watching as there is enough activity on the street.

I ordered the salmon, blackened, and with Cajun rice. The fresh catch plates also come with hand-cut crunchy coleslaw and fresh tartar sauce.