Crisp Skinned Arctic Char Recipes

HONEY-DIJON ARCTIC CHAR RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather ingredients.
• Rinse fish off in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place into a deep glass baking dish.
• Combine mustard, honey, oil, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
• Using a spoon, coat fillets with mixture. Cover dish with plastic wrap and place into refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Right before placing the fish onto the grill, oil grill grates. This can be done by using a large pair of tongs, folded paper towels, and a high smoke point oil like grapeseed or avocado oils.
• Place fish onto grill, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes. Discard any extra marinade. Carefully, turn fish and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. It is sometimes easier to use 2 heat-resistant spatulas to turn the fish. One to get underneath and the other to assist with turning.
• When the flesh of the fish no longer appears shiny, flakes easily and reaches an internal temperature of 145 F, it is done. Carefully remove from grill, plate and serve.

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.

OH MY ARCTIC CHAR!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Season arctic char with salt, place in prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with lime zest.
• Combine lime juice, olive oil, sherry, rosemary, and garlic in a food processor; pulse until garlic is finely chopped. Spread mixture over fish and season with black pepper and cayenne pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes, basting with pan juices about halfway through. When the fish is close to being cooked, switch the oven to broil for remaining two minutes or until browned.

CRISPY SKIN ARCTIC CHAR WITH BUTTER-BRAISED CABBAGE

Steps:

• For the butter-braised cabbage:
• Cook the bacon in a large high-sided saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until crisp, about 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Add the butter to same pan, followed by the onions. Cook until the onions begin to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar and cabbage. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid from the cabbage and continue cooking until all the liquid has evaporated. Stir the crisped bacon into the cabbage and season with salt and pepper.
• For the arctic char:
• The secret to crispy skin is lack of moisture. Leave your fish uncovered in the fridge 10 to 15 minutes to dry out. Then dry the fish with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, place the fillets skin-side down in the pan, cooking in batches if needed. Using the back of a spatula, press down hard on the fillets for at least 20 seconds to ensure that the entire skin has full contact with the bottom of the pan. This will help to achieve the crispiest skin possible.
• Continue cooking until the flesh cooks and there is only a bit of pink left, 5 to 6 minutes. The skin should be pulling away from the bottom of the pan. If necessary, use a spatula to loosen the skin before flipping. Flip the fish and continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute before transferring to a plate to rest.
• Gently remove the fish skin with a paring knife and place the skin back into the pan, flesh-side down. Fry another 1 to 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Transfer to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate, at which point it will harden like a super-crispy fish chip.
• Serve the crisp arctic char over the butter-braised cabbage and top with the crispy fish skin.
• Cook's Note:
• Removing your fried fish skin to a wire rack will help it harden by letting the air circulate around it.

ARCTIC CHAR WITH LEMON-CAPER BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine 4 tablespoons butter, the capers, parsley, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl with a rubber spatula; set aside. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread pieces, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate.
• Wipe out the skillet; add the vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 more minute; transfer to a plate.
• Meanwhile, add the haricots verts to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates and sprinkle with the croutons. Add the fish and top with the lemon-caper butter; serve with lemon wedges.

CRISPY SKIN ARCTIC CHAR WITH BUTTER-BRAISED CABBAGE

Steps:

• For the butter-braised cabbage: Cook the bacon in a large high-sided saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until crisp, about 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Add the butter to same pan, followed by the onions. Cook until the onions begin to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar and cabbage. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid from the cabbage and continue cooking until all the liquid has evaporated. Stir the crisped bacon into the cabbage and season with salt and pepper.
• For the arctic char: The secret to crispy skin is lack of moisture. Leave your fish uncovered in the fridge 10 to 15 minutes to dry out. Then dry the fish with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, place the fillets skin-side down in the pan, cooking in batches if needed. Using the back of a spatula, press down hard on the fillets for at least 20 seconds to ensure that the entire skin has full contact with the bottom of the pan. This will help to achieve the crispiest skin possible.
• Continue cooking until the flesh cooks and there is only a bit of pink left, 5 to 6 minutes. The skin should be pulling away from the bottom of the pan. If necessary, use a spatula to loosen the skin before flipping. Flip the fish and continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute before transferring to a plate to rest.
• Gently remove the fish skin with a paring knife and place the skin back into the pan, flesh-side down. Fry another 1 to 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Transfer to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate, at which point it will harden like a super-crispy fish chip.
• Serve the crisp arctic char over the butter-braised cabbage and top with the crispy fish skin.
• Cook's Note: Removing your fried fish skin to a wire rack will help it harden by letting the air circulate around it.