Find Your Fresh Seafood Fix at Morning Catch in Chinatown

Photo: Julia de Oliveira

Wandering through Chinatown’s bustling streets on a quest for poke, I find myself tucked between winding alleyways and a host of stands selling crates of fresh fruit and fish. Morning Catch, named after the seafood caught fresh each morning, is the end of the rainbow for a fish lover like me. The sashimi-grade selections of ‘ahi, king salmon, hamachi and tako are sauced and mixed to order.

Open since March 2021, Morning Catch at O‘ahu Market gained enough popularity to open a second location just a block away in 2023 at Kekaulike Market facing Hotel Street. But even with hand rolls, table seating and air conditioning, nothing beats a visit to the original stall.

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The Menu

Photos: Julia de Oliveira

Start with a one- ($15) or two-choice ($18) bowl. Each includes white rice, cucumber kim chee, ginger and furikake. For a $1.50 upcharge, sushi rice is the perfect vehicle to carry the fresh cubes of fish. Poke by the pound is also available at listed market prices.

As someone who enjoys seafood, I’m picky about quality. Morning Catch touts using sashimi-grade fish, which really means it’s safe to consume raw. Choose from ‘ahi, king salmon, hamachi or tako sourced from the 88 Fresh Fish stall next door to be seasoned in various ways. After making a selection from options like kim chee tako, spicy ‘ahi and Hawaiian salt hamachi, your poke is mixed to order.

Photo: Julia de Oliveira

Photos of the constructed bowls make it easy see what interests you.

For $1.50 more, the ocean salad is a worthy poke companion. The seaweed is crunchy and refreshing with a subtle hint of nuttiness that makes for an ideal palate cleanser. You also have the option of customizing your bowl with spicy mayo, unagi sauce, limu and wasabi.

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We Recommend

King Salmon Tobiko

The king salmon tobiko poke, which costs more depending on the market, is my first choice. Each cube is marbled with fat. The tobiko flavor is subtle, and the rich flavor of the fatty salmon is preserved, which speaks to how delicious this fish would be as sashimi. I plan on going back to try the other salmon options. At the risk of sounding like a complete fangirl, this may be the best and freshest salmon poke I’ve had on island.

Photo: Julia de Oliveira

Hamachi Shoyu

I pair my king salmon poke with a scoop of hamachi shoyu. Off the bat, this poke is clean. If you’re sensitive to flavor, I recommend shoyu as it is somewhat mellow. I like the crunchy bits of limu and pops of acid. While refreshing, I’m not sure I would order hamachi again knowing how good the ‘ahi and king salmon are.

Kim Chee Tako

Although incredibly tender, the pieces of tako are not as small as I would prefer. If you’re like me and love anything kim chee, this flavor option ranks high. Morning Catch also offers tako seasoned with Hawaiian salt, but I think I’ll stick to kim chee.

Photo: Julia de Oliveira

Spicy ‘Ahi

The spicy ‘ahi is the star of the show. Though ‘ahi is available in four flavor options: shoyu limu, Hawaiian salt, spicy and masago, I can affirm that the spicy sauce achieves the perfect balance between spice and acid. The addition of furikake and a generous tobiko garnish elevates the bowl to new heights of flavor and texture. It is not overly seasoned, and as with other poke options, the natural clean flavor of the ‘ahi shines through the mayo-based sauce.

Open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., O‘ahu Market, 145 North King St. #12, (808) 840-7155, @morningcatchoahu