Spicy Salmon Is ‘A Touch Of First Class’

Long before graduating from Kailua High School in 1966, Kaneohe resident Terry Terrell (aka Teresa Webber) had two life goals: to fly for Pan American and publish a book.

Teresa got her stewardess wings in 1968 and began flying the world, including round-the-world trips on Pan Am’s famous flights One and Two. Eventually, she transferred to the Honolulu base and spent 13 years flying the South Pacific, Asia and the Middle East. She says, “I’ve visited many fascinating countries and lived overseas, but nowhere in the whole, wide world compares to Hawaii.”

Her second life goal became a reality recently when, with the help of two former Pan Am stewardesses and close friends Elane Kato and Geri Kai (also local girls), A Touch of First Class — Pan Am Recipes and Nostalgia was published. The fascinating book contains 437 recipes submitted by former Pan Am employees, each with their own page, photo and personal comments. In addition are approximately 100 pages showcasing some of the airline’s finest historical moments, recipes from restaurants across the globe and Hawaii, and from celebrities who frequented Pan Am.

“We were thrilled when Maureen O’Hara agreed to participate by sending a photo of herself and husband, Charlie Blair, one of Pan Am’s chief pilots, posed in the cockpit of a 707,” says Teresa.

The book was compiled over the course of a year in order to make its debut in April at the Pan Am Aloha Celebration.

All proceeds from A Touch of First Class are donated to the Pan Am exhibit at Pacific Aviation Museum, Ford Island. Anyone interested in buying a remaining copy can visit panamcookbook.com for more information, or call Teresa Webber at 358-8967.

Here’s a recipe from the cookbook, contributed by Geri Ogata Kai, Flight Service HNL. (Notes in parenthesis are mine.)

WASABI SALMON, HAWAII STYLE

* 1/2 whole salmon filet

* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

* 1/2 bottle wakame furikake

* 1 cup teriyaki sauce (may use low sodium)

* 1 1/2 tablespoons wasabi

* 1/2 cup mayonnaise (may use low fat)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place salmon in baking pan. Squeeze lemon juice over salmon. Pour teriyaki sauce over salmon. Sprinkle desired amount of furikake. Mix mayonnaise and wasabi in a Ziploc sandwich bag. Make a small snip on one corner of bottom of bag and squeeze the mayo/wasabi mixture out of the corner onto the top of the salmon. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until salmon is flaky.

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