Most fish has some kind of caveat attached to it. It may be concern about contaminants; escapees from the farm that threaten the wild population; or it is endangered. All these reasons to not eat seafood — while nutritionists and health researchers tell us to eat more.
Enter arctic char, the fish for the conscientious consumer with a discerning palate. As much as that sounds like a line out of Don Draper’s playbook, it is true. Here is a fish, at long last, you can love freely and with abandon because it is:
* good for you: it is high in omega-3s and very,very low in contaminants. (It is a great choice for pregnant women).
* good for the earth: almost all the arctic char you see comes from eco-friendly fish farms. It is rated as a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. (Click on the link to download their handy safe seafood chart as an app for your smart phone or printable wallet sized card.)
* mildly flavored with a slightly rich, flaky texture– and it isn’t “fishy”.
* reasonably priced compared to other fish. (My local market sells it for about $7.99 a pound, and on sale as low as $5.99).
* incredibly easy to cook right. Oh, and it cooks fast, too. (You can get dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes.)
You can also serve arctic char with a simple tomato, basil and olive topping or a remoulade (a mayonnaise-based topping that comes together in about two minutes). 4 plum tomatoes (about 12 ounces), diced 1 mango, diced 1/4 cup chopped scallions 1/4 cup basil, cut in thin shreds 1 teaspoon orange zest 3/4 teaspoon, divided 4 6-ounce arctic char filets 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 1. Combine the plum tomatoes, mango, scallions, basil, orange zest and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl; set aside. 2. Season the fish with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. 3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high. Add the fish, skin side facing up, and cook 2 minutes, or until golden, Turn and cook 3 minutes, until fish is cooked through and skin is crisp. 4. Serve with the mango-tomato topping. Makes 4 servings Nutritional analysis for each serving: 245 calories, 30 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 541 mg sodium
Arctic Char with Mango-Tomato Topping
As much as I like the fact that most of the fish I eat is fish I catch myself, there are fish that I miss. Arctic char is one of them, for all the reasons you mention. I used to buy them whole at Citarella in New York, and poach them.
But I’m thinking that mango-tomato combination would work great with my striped bass!
Tamar, if I had just caught bass, this is my absolute favorite way to prepare and eat it. The first time I had fish prepared like this was on the coast of Portugal: the bus boy ran across from the restaurant to haul the fish in from a net in the sea. The chef gutted and scaled it in seconds, slapped it on the grill and served it with lemon, fresh herbs and olive oil.
Love arctic char! Such a flavorful fish. I’ll have to try it with your mango-tomato topping. Like the orange zest addition.