Hand-shredded salted salmon mixed with cold fresh tomato and onion: a bright, salty dish shared at the great festive table, with a spoon or with your fingers.

Why this dish? Alice grew up in Seattle, on the Pacific of salmon, before going to Hawai‘i. Salted salmon from the Northwest, imported to the islands, became a Hawaiian festive dish — a savory bridge between her two shores, that of childhood and that of her life as a researcher.

The salmon came straight from home, from the cold waters of Seattle where I grew up — they salted it to travel to the islands. On feast days, I'd flake it between my fingers, well chilled, with tomato and onion, and everyone would dip into the dish. Taste how the salt of the North and the sun of Hawai‘i get along: two shores in a single spoonful. This, I think, is what I love best — bringing together what seemed meant to stay apart.

How it was made : Lomi salmon was born from the encounter between salted salmon brought by Western traders in the 19th century and Hawaiian techniques: you "lomi" (massage, knead) the fish by hand. It has become a staple at large festive tables in the islands. Here presented with respect, as an evocation, not a reproduction of a ritual.

The contemporary twist : Serve it in small glasses over crushed ice, as a fresh amuse-bouche, and call it "Two Pacifics" — Seattle and Honolulu in one bite.

Alice Ball · Charactorium