Hongmaogang Seafood Restaurant / 紅毛港 海鮮餐廳
Hongmaogang Seafood Restaurant
◎English Written by Peng Hsin-yi ◎Photos by Lin Yu-en
Since she was eighteen, it has been Ms. Hong Meihua's dream to open a seafood restaurant. The Kaohsiung native worked hard to make her dream come true, and today She is the proud owner of Hongmaogang, Kaohsiung's premier seafood restaurant.
Ms. Hong was born and raised in Kaohsiung's fishing village. She has short, curly hair and is always dressed ready to work. As an expert restaurateur, she scrutinizes every aspect of her restaurant, including the greeting, service and ingredients. It is a demanding job, but Ms. Hong has never felt bogged down by it, "When you do something you love all day, it only makes you happy".
Growing up in a fishing village, children were given the task of sorting the daily catch. This gave her great insight into understanding seafood and transformed her into the expert she is today.
Every day Ms. Hong goes to the Donggang fish market to pick up the freshest, best quality seafood. The fishermen have known her for years and always save her the best of the catch.
During Chinese New Year, Hongmaogang Seafood Restaurant is always busy with orders for their traditional banquet food. Golden Treasure Meatball is a labor-intensive, handmade delicacy. This is a specialty of southern Taiwan and was originally only served at banquets. Ms. Hong knows Taiwanese people aged 48 years and older know and love this dish.
A pack of 600 grams contains 12 to 13 meatballs. Hongmaogang uses freshly ground pork, mixed with shallot crisps, five spice and a cooked egg yolk in the center. As you bite into the crunchy fried meatball, you are tempted by the fragrance of the shallot bits. The pork is tender, but has a very satisfying texture that fills your mouth with its juicy meat. They are fried but not greasy and the rich flavor brings back memories of the good old days.
Another popular dish is Black Cambaridae in Garlic Sauce. This is a special crustacean that only exists only in the ocean between Taiwan and the Philippines. It thrives there because of the nourishing Kuroshio Current. Black cambaridae are sweet, meaty and tastes like lobster. Many Japanese customers come to Hongmaogang to enjoy this popular dish.
The superb quality of the black cambaridae and its silky smooth garlic sauce create a flavor that is so addictive, even people who don't usually eat garlic will also love it. The garlic sauce is carefully prepared and does not have a lingering aftertaste. People always leave with a smile and that is the most gratifying reward for Ms. Hong.
紅毛港 海鮮餐廳
◎文／侯雅婷 ◎攝影／林育恩
我從18歲就想要開間海鮮餐廳！」這是漁村子弟洪美花年輕時的夢想，在經過一番辛勤的打拼與逐夢過程後，她現在經營著高雄知名的海鮮餐廳─「紅毛港海鮮餐廳」。
頂著一頭捲捲短髮，一身俐落的打扮，從外場招呼客人、上菜速度的管控到食材的採購等，儘管工作忙碌，洪美花卻一點也不覺得辛苦，她說，能從事喜愛的工作是一件令人開心的事。從小生長在紅毛港漁村，就要幫忙把捕回的漁獲分類，這也練就了她選購海鮮的「好眼力」，洪美花相當注重食材新鮮與否，因此每天都到東港，選購當日最新鮮的海鮮，而勤跑魚市場也與魚販建立好交情，總將最好的海鮮留給她。
每逢中國農曆新年，紅毛港海鮮餐廳最暢銷的外帶伴手禮就是飄著台灣古早味的黃金八寶丸，光是訂單就應接不暇。這道工夫菜是台南以南辦桌的料理菜，洪美花說，年紀約48 歲以上的台灣人，都相當懷念這道古早味的手工菜。
手工製作的丸子一斤約有12～13顆，每顆八寶丸都紮紮實實、份量十足，使用新鮮的豬頸肉、紅蔥頭及蛋黃等食材，一口咬下，豬肉軟嫩富嚼勁，還有經過特別料理烹飪後的紅蔥頭可說是這道菜料理的精華所在，再佐以五香粉等配料，外面酥脆、內餡柔軟的八寶丸，不油不膩卻又香氣飽滿，引出最讓人念念不忘的古早味。
另一道蒜茸黑蛄則是店裏的招牌料理。洪美花說黑蛄產於台灣與菲律賓交界的黑潮，讓黑蛄吃起來肉質飽滿、特別鮮美，口感與龍蝦媲美。再加上黑蛄在日本是嚐不到的，因此吸引許多日本客人總會再回到店裏嚐嚐這道蒜茸黑蛄的好滋味。
除了黑蛄本身肉質結實、鮮美，這道料理仰賴的就是入口有如綿花般的蒜茸，黑蛄搭配著蒜茸，產生絕妙的口感。即便連不吃蒜頭的客人，也會忍不住一口接一口的嚐著蒜茸。經過料理後的蒜茸不嗆、不辣，也沒了蒜頭惱人的味道，反而散發出一股清甜的味道，從顧客滿意的笑容直接肯定了這道料理。