Grilled Whole Arctic Char Recipes

GRILLED ARCTIC CHAR

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.
• Using a sharp knife, make two vertical slices through the skin of fish fillets, taking care not to cut the flesh; season with sea salt and pepper.
• Place fillets on grill, skin-side down, and grill until skin is crisp and fish is almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Carefully turn fish and continue grilling until cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle fish with Maldon sea salt and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

GRILLED WHOLE ARCTIC CHAR

Steps:

• Let fish stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Divide mint-chive butter into 2 bowls. Season cavity of fish with salt and pepper, and brush generously with half the mint-chive butter. Tie together with kitchen twine to close. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a charcoal grill to medium. Lightly brush grates with oil. Sear lemons, cut sides down, until caramelized, about 3 minutes; transfer to a serving platter. Brush grates to clean.
• Grill fish, covered, about 12 minutes. (Check on fish once or twice to make sure heat is even and fish is not charring.) Open lid, and flip fish carefully using 2 heavy spatulas. Cover, and grill until skin is crisp and fish is flaky when pierced with the tip of a knife in the thickest area, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer fish to a platter using spatulas. Brush fish with remaining mint-chive butter. Let stand for 10 minutes; untie. Garnish with mint.

HERB-STUFFED ROAST ARCTIC CHAR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the leaves from 2 sage sprigs, 1 parsley sprig, all of the thyme sprigs and the rosemary; finely chop along with the lemon zest. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil to make a paste; set aside.
• Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Run the back of a knife over the skin of the fish to remove any excess moisture; pat dry inside and out. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Cut 4 slits through the skin on each side of the fish with a sharp knife; rub inside and out with 1 tablespoon olive oil, making sure to get inside the slits. Season the fish inside and out with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; spread the herb paste all over the inside.
• Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 130 degrees F to 135 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the leaves from the remaining 1 sage sprig and 2 parsley sprigs; add to the hot oil and cook, stirring, until crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

RED CHILE RUBBED GRILLED ARCTIC CHAR

Steps:

• Preheat the fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk together the brown sugar, ancho chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt and black pepper in a small bowl.
• Preheat the grill, a grill pan or a nonstick saute pan over high heat. Brush both sides of the char with the oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Rub one side of each fillet with some of the spice rub. Cook the char rub-side down until golden brown and a crust has formed, about 3 minutes, and then flip and continue cooking to medium doneness, 3 to 4 minutes longer.
• Slice the skin into 1/4-inch strips, and then dredge in the rice flour. Fry until crispy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined sheet tray and immediately sprinkle with salt.
• Plate the fish rub-side up, topped with the crispy skin. Serve some of the Salsa Vera Cruz alongside, and garnish with cilantro leaves and pumpkin seeds.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Combine the tomatoes, olives, capers, oregano, thyme, garlic, jalapenos and red onions in a medium bowl. Add the canola oil to the pan, and cook the mixture 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Finish with the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

GRILLED ARCTIC CHAR WITH HORSERADISH CREMA

Steps:

• Make the horseradish crema: Peel horseradish with a vegetable peeler and coarsely grate. Combine grated horseradish with sour cream, Dijon, chives and dill in a medium bowl and mix well. Season crema with lemon juice and salt to taste. (Crema can be made in advance; chill until you are ready to serve.)
• Heat grill to medium-high heat if you are using gas; if you have a charcoal grill, you want a nice hot bed of coals.
• Coat fish well with olive oil and season with salt. Set fish on the grill skin side down and cook, covered, until the flesh of the fish begins to turn opaque and the skin is crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a grill spatula to carefully flip the fish and finish cooking to medium, about 2 minutes more.
• Spread horseradish crema on a serving platter or individual plates and place cooked fish on top with the skin side up. Garnish with dill and lemon wedges. Serve extra crema on the side.

WHOLE ROASTED ARCTIC CHAR WITH FENNEL AND PISTOU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse the fish well inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Lay the big-boy out on a large rimmed sheet pan; cut 4 gashes crosswise on both sides of the fish, slicing all the way down to the bone. Season the arctic char with a generous amount of salt and pepper, inside the cavity and all over the skin. Stuff the mixed herbs and fennel inside the body of the fish. Tuck a lemon slice and bay leaf inside each of the slats. Rub a decent amount of olive oil on all parts of the fish. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skin is crispy and the fish itself is flaky. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fennel fronds. Serve with Pistou sauce.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until the garlic is finely chopped. Serve at room temperature with grilled or roasted fish.
• Yield: 1 cup

GRILLED CHILE-LIME ARCTIC CHAR

Steps:

• Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using a large heavy knife.
• Stir together garlic paste, lime juice, oil, sugar, and chipotle chile in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.
• Remove any bones from fish with tweezers, then pat fish dry and place, skin side down, on a plastic-wrap-lined large tray.
• Rub chile mixture all over flesh side of fish, then wrap plastic around fish and marinate at cool room temperature 15 minutes.
• While fish is marinating, prepare grill for cooking over indirect heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderately high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure
• To cook fish using a charcoal grill: Lightly oil grill rack, then put fish, skin side down, on grill rack with no coals underneath and grill, covered with lid, 4 minutes. Using 2 metal spatulas, loosen fish from grill rack and turn fish over, rotating 180 degrees. Grill fish, covered with lid, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more, then loosen from grill rack with spatulas and transfer to a clean platter. If desired, lift skin from fish with tongs and cook skin on rack directly over coals, turning over occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve over fish.
• To cook fish using a gas grill: Lightly oil grill rack, then put fish, skin side down, on rack above shut-off burner and grill, covered with lid, 4 minutes. Using 2 metal spatulas, loosen skin from grill rack and turn fish over. Grill fish, covered with lid, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more, then loosen from grill rack with spatulas and transfer to a clean platter.
• If desired, lift skin from fish with tongs and cook skin directly over a burner, uncovered, turning over occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve over fish.