One Skillet Arctic Char Recipes

SEARED SOY-SESAME ARCTIC CHAR

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper and brush with half of the sauce.
• Heat a small cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sear the fish skin side up for 4 minutes. Pour the remaining sauce over the fish and swirl the sauce around the pan. Carefully turn the fish, spoon the sauce over the top, and cook for 3 more minutes, until the fish is just cooked through. Serve immediately.

ARCTIC CHAR EN PAPILLOTE WITH CRISPY LEEKS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400˚ F. Tear off 4 sheets of parchment paper, 16 to 18 inches long each. Thinly slice 1 leek crosswise into half moons and divide among the parchment sheets, slightly off center. Top evenly with the thyme and parsley sprigs and 1 piece of butter each. Top each pile with a char fillet (if it's skin-on, place skin-side down) and season generously with salt and pepper. Top each fillet with another piece of butter and carefully pour about 2 tablespoons wine over each mound of ingredients.
• Fold the parchment over the fish. Starting at one corner, fold and pleat the parchment all the way around to the other corner, making sure the packet is well sealed. Carefully transfer the packets to 2 baking sheets. Bake until the fish is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes, then carefully open the packets.
• While the fish cooks, cut the remaining leek crosswise to make 4 pieces, then slice lengthwise into thin strips. Put in a medium nonstick skillet with the olive oil and turn the heat to medium. Cook, tossing, until crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes, adding the sliced garlic for the last minute. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Top the fish with the crispy leeks and garlic and chopped parsley.

OVEN-STEAMED ARCTIC CHAR WITH PIPERADE

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add the peppers, chile, and garlic. Stir together until the garlic begins to smell fragrant, about 1 minute, and add salt to taste. Continue to cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until the peppers are quite soft. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and thyme, bring to a simmer, turn the heat to low and cook uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often. The mixture should be thick and sweet. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil the foil. Place the fish on top. Season with salt and gently rub the salt into the surface of the fish. Add pepper to taste. Fill a roasting pan with boiling water and place it on the oven floor. Place in the oven and bake until the fish flakes and white bubbles of protein appear on the surface, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets (you can scrape them away if you don't like the look of them). Remove from the heat and serve topped with the piperade.

PISTACHIO-CRUSTED ARCTIC CHAR

Steps:

• Coarsely chop pistachios in a food processor, then add basil, shallot, salt, pepper, and 6 tablespoons butter and purée until mixture forms a paste.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Remove any bones from fish with tweezers and pat fish dry.
• Heat oil and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown skin sides of fillets in 2 batches, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer fillets as browned, skin sides down, to a lightly oiled shallow baking pan (1 inch deep).
• Divide pistachio paste among fillet pieces and spread evenly in a 1/8-inch-thick layer over top of each.
• Bake fillets in middle of oven until just cooked through, 9 to 11 minutes.

ARCTIC CHAR WITH CHINESE BROCCOLI AND SWEET POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap sweet potatoes individually in foil. Roast until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cool and peel. Puree in processor until smooth. Measure 3 cups puree and transfer to microwave-safe bowl. Stir in mustard. Season with salt. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Boil vinegar in small saucepan until reduced to ` cup, about 8 minutes. Stir in soy sauce. Remove from heat.
• Cook broccoli in pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain; set aside. Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until edges are crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. DO AHEAD: Reduction and broccoli can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Process mustard seeds in spice grinder until coarsely ground. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Sprinkle ground seeds over top of fish. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish, mustard side down, and cook until brown and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, rewarm puree in microwave until heated through. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in another large skillet. Add broccoli and bacon; sauté until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide broccoli, fish, and puree among plates. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve.
• *Chinese broccoli is also called gai lan or Chinese kale; it's available at Asian markets. Broccoli rabe is an Italian leafy green vegetable with scattered clusters of broccoli-like florets; you'll find it at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

ARCTIC CHAR WITH SPINACH BUTTER

Steps:

• Put spinach in a mixing bowl and pour boiling water over to wilt it. Drain in a colander, rinse with cool water and squeeze completely dry. Chop the spinach as finely as you can and set aside.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse fish and pat dry. Season fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Put a few tarragon springs in the belly cavity.
• Line a roasting pan with a big piece of foil slightly longer than the fish, leaving ends hanging over. Smear middle section of foil lengthwise with 1 tablespoon soft butter and set fish on top. Smear top of fish with remaining tablespoon soft butter. Fold the sides of foil to the center and press against fish. Twist both ends of foil to make a tight package. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let fish rest 5 to 10 minutes, still in the foil package, while you make the sauce.
• Put crème fraîche in a wide saucepan or skillet over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for a minute or so, until slightly reduced. Add cooked spinach, stirring to coat. Season with salt and pepper and turn heat to low. Quickly stir in 1 tablespoon chilled butter at a time. Each spoonful should be just melted before adding the next, to make a creamy sauce. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest, tarragon and chives.
• Transfer fish to a warm serving platter. Carefully remove foil. (Fish should be cooked through but moist.) Peel away and discard skin from top of fish. Pour any collected pan juices into the sauce, then spoon sauce over fish. Serve with boiled new potatoes if desired.

ARCTIC CHAR WITH SOBA NOODLES, PINE NUTS AND LEMON

Steps:

• Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse under cold water; drain well.
• Pulse the pine nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Scrape them into a large bowl. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and lemon zest. Whisk in the lemon juice. Slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons oil. Toss noodles with the dressing.
• Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
• Set a small skillet over medium-high heat and allow to heat up, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add remaining oil. Allow to cool slightly.
• Season both sides of the fish with remaining salt and a pinch of pepper and place on the baking sheet. Spoon the cumin and oil evenly over the fillets. Roast to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium rare.
• Divide the noodles among four plates and place the fish over the noodles. Garnish with the lemon wedges and cilantro or mint.

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.