Basalt’s Macadamia Nut Crusted Fish

HONOLULU, HI– At the heart of Duke’s Lane Market & Eatery is its treasured full-service restaurant and bar, BASALT. Named after the bedrock of the Hawaiian islands, it pays homage to the fact that Hawai‘i is multicultural and multiethnic. This is reflected in how the restaurant is decorated, how the staff treats its guests, and how the menu is curated. At BASALT, modern American cuisine meets local fare, and the team of chefs put their own spin on classic dishes. Leading the charge is Executive Chef Keith Steel Kong.

Chef Keith Steel Kong
Before becoming a chef, Chef Keith was simply a Hawai‘i boy who had moved to Colorado to attend college. Without being driven by a real purpose, he partied until his money ran out. That’s when he realized he needed money to survive, and he was hired on as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. The owners, who happened to be from Hawai‘i themselves, tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he was interested in becoming the cook for the restaurant. With a basic knowledge of Hawaiian local food, he decided to take a chance. Six months later, he found himself essentially running the restaurant. That was when he realized that he had a passion for becoming a chef.

Chef Keith went on to attend the former California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. He lived and worked in Newport Beach, then relocated to Napa Valley to learn about the wine country cooking scene. It was there where he learned about the importance of using fresh, local produce. With this new knowledge in hand, he came back to Hawai‘i to enter the local culinary scene.

Basalt outdoor seating

The Menu
Some of the menu items that are popular and that are a culmination of Chef Keith and his team’s unique experiences are the Vegetable and Gouda Omelet, Fresh Catch Salad, and the Macadamia Nut Crusted Fish. Served during breakfast, the Vegetable and Gouda Omelet consists of Sweet Land Farms goat gouda, spinach, tomato, mushroom, onion, and bell pepper. Served during lunch, the Fresh Catch Salad is BASALT’s pan-seared catch of the day on a bed of Waipoli mixed greens, cucumber, watermelon radish, Ho Farms cherry tomatoes, and carrots, then drizzled with an inamona-corn relish and a sherry vinaigrette. Served during dinner, the Macadamia Nut Crusted Fish is BASALT’s catch of the day coated in a macadamia nut panko crust served alongside garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and tomato-caper relish.