Hawai'i has a lot of special foods that make the 808 state unique. Laulau... Poke... Poi... And one of the best... OPIHI...
There are many ways to shell an opihi. Some people use a butter knife, some people use a spoon... Most islanders like to do it the "natural way." Check out these instructions.
Step 1. Grab an empty shell.
Step 2. Using the empty shell, scrape the opihi out of the shell. Try to keep the edge of the empty shell as close to the bottom of the occupied shell as possible. There is a "sack" at the bottom of the opihi similar to escargot that might break if you aren't careful.
Step 3. Continue scooping until the whole opihi is out.
Step 4. Repeat until all shells are empty.
Step 5. Enjoy your opihi!
Some people will put the opihi "meat" back into the shell with some soy sauce, citrus, sugar, or other ingredients, put them on the grill and eat them after cooking for a little while. Cooked or raw, it is a very tasty treat.
Note: Opihi is usually found at the edge of the ocean where the waves crash into the rocks. Every year people get hurt or even die trying to collect them. If you ever see these on the rocks at the ocean, always remember ocean safety.
