Iʻa Patties

Description: I'a Patties are a flattened, round, serving of seafood, vegetables, bean curds, or leftover poke. Commonly used canned items included tuna, salmon, clams, crab, abalone, mussels, and calamari. Patties are found in cuisines all around the world and were not an ancient Hawaiian food, but rather a relatively modern adaptation to using canned goods or poke that didn't sell. A type of I'a Patty would be the Tofu Patty that was often eaten in case there was not much seafood to make patties with and used as a way to fill the stomach.

Confusion: I'a Patties isn't quite a fishcake and is a bit different from the Maryland Crabcake. It actually has more in common with a burger due to its shape and how its cooked on a hot surface as well as how it is served as a "Fish Patty Steak" or in an actual Sandwich between buns. There was no particular way of naming I'a Patties, until people started to talk amongst themselves to discuss the culinary specifics of things, so references like Hari Kojima's cook books were a bit difficult to understand. Recipes during the 1980s sometimes use burger, fishcake, and patty interchangeably, but for the sake of reorganizing recipes patties will be covered under burgers.

"When Poke became popular there was a lot of left over that needed to be cooked. I'a Patties were an easy way to feed the staff. So if somewhere had Poke they most likely had patties made with the left overs. Yup, that means most pokes can be turned into patties in Hawaii." -Hawaii Fishmonger at the Pier

Hari Kojima was known to help the dish become more accessible with helping people in Hawaii understand potential substitutions if a specific type isn't readily available and explain that even if the dish has strong Japanese culinary influence it is a Hawaii thing. Hari Kojima had several recipes in his cookbook series that helped people know the standard sorts of Lawai'a Patties, these would consist of: Tuna Burger, Oio Fishcake, Fishcake with Clam Meat. Recipes that influenced peoples home made I'a Patties were: Stuffed Shrimp Bellpepper, King Crab Dip, Crabmeat Stuffing, Portuguese Sausage Stuffed Uhu, and Oyster Stuffing. 

I'a Patty Variations: There were patties that used Reef Fish, Grouper, Tilapia, and Cod. There were the Poke left over recipes like: Mussel Patties, White Crab Patties, Shoyu Crab Patties, Ahi Patties, Shoyu Ahi Patties, Aku Patties, Aku Limu Patties, Albacore Patties, Salmon Patties, King Salmon Patties, King Clam Patties, and Smoked Tako Patties. And then there were the patties on recipe cards, such as: Shrimp Patties, Clam Patties, Portuguese Fish Patties, Chopped Shrimp Patties, Oyster Patties, Dungeness Crab Patties, and King Crab Patties. 

Alternative Tofu I'a Patties: Not everyday was a great day for a catch and Hawaiian Electric had recipes of Tofu Patties that would use some sort of Fish in it with the most popular one being Tuna Tofu Patties. While seafood wasn't always available to most homes there was usually Tofu regularly available at the local supermarket with all the tofu factories in Hawaii making some really good ones. The recipe would used flaked seafood, medium-firm tofu mashed, egg as a binder, onions, bread crumbs, citrus, spices, sesame oil, oyster sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil. 

I'a Patty Musubi: Other than people who lived off the ocean with their catch there was never quite a boom in Lawai'a Patties. However, some say that places like Tanioka's Fish market in Waipahu helped popularize the "Fish Patty Musubi" with the West side of Oahu. It was seen as a specialty item and wasn't typically found in every grocery store as it started to emerge.