CASCADE AQUA FARMS ARCTIC CHAR
CASCADE AQUA FARMS ARCTIC CHAR
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Best Choice
CATCH METHOD:
Farmed | Open Net Pens
OTHER NAMES:
Arctic charr
AVAILABILITY:
Year Round
LOCATION:
Cascade Mountains, WA
Arctic char is a a fish of magical beauty: its range of colors includes grey or blue on its back, and anything from silvery white to a glowing red on its belly. Char is extremely sensitive to its environment and can only survive in unspoiled, naturally cold water.
BEST
CHOICE
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Seafood Watch Rating
Served to the Queen of England when she visits Canada
Use the natural icy cold water from snowmelt high in the Cascade Mountains of the Great Pacific Northwest
COLD WATER CONDITIONS
Since Cascade Aqua Farms Arctic char are raised and spend their entire lives in the icy cold snowmelt waters, rising temperatures threaten their ability to survive. We strive to maintain sustainable practices for the health of our planet and our fish!
DRESSED FRESH!
Our char are ethically stunned, dressed, and ready to transport within hours. No antibiotics or chemical agents are used in our culturing process or foods.
CULINARY
Cooking with Arctic Char
Menued as a new signature seafood entree, Arctic char receives rave reviews from everyone who tries it.
CRISP SKINNED Arctic char
(Cooked, Serves 4)
Ingredients
2 to 3 Tbs. olive oil
4 5-oz. skin-on Arctic char fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 lemon wedges, for serving
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-low heat.
- Season the fish well with salt and pepper.
- Cook, skin side down and undisturbed, for 7 minutes. The fillets will cook from the bottom up so that the flesh stays moist while the skin gets so crisp that it crackles; if the skin becomes crisp before the top of the fish finishes cooking (it should look just opaque), flip it over and cook very briefly to finish.
- Serve with a lemon wedge.
broiled lemon-honey Arctic char with citrus saucE
(Cooked, Serves 4)
Ingredients
4 small oranges, a mix is nice (I’ve been using Cara Cara and tangerines)
1 lemon
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 3- to 4-ounce fillets Arctic Char
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 pinch flaky sea salt
1 tablespoon neutral oil
- Position a rack 3 inches from the broiler. (Note: I can position a rack only 4 inches from the broiler. To get the pan 3 inches from the heat source, I turn over a rimmed sheet pan and set it on the rack—I do this when the fish is ready to be broiled.) Preheat the broiler to high.
- If you know how to supreme citrus fruit, do that, squeezing and reserving any juice left in the rinds, then skip to step 2. Otherwise: Slice off the ends of each orange and the lemon. Squeeze the juice out of those ends into a medium bowl. Discard the rind. (It’s handy to have a garbage bowl nearby for this step.) Stand each piece of fruit on one of its cut sides. Run a knife down the side of each orange and the lemon to remove the skin. Squeeze the juice out of those skins into the bowl, then discard. Remove each citrus segment by running a knife down the side of each membrane and slicing the segment out. Drop it into the bowl of juice. Once all of the segments are removed, squeeze the remaining membranes into the bowl to extract the juice. You should be left with a bowl of beautiful segments swimming in a lot of juice. (If this doesn’t make sense, Youtube it.)
- Pour one tablespoon of the juice from the bowl of citrus segments into a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add the fillets of arctic char and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil into the bowl with the citrus segments. Add the chives and a big pinch of sea salt. Stir to combine. Taste. It should taste similar to a salad dressing with perhaps less of a bite. It should not be emulsified.
- Rub a sizzle pan or sheet pan or broiler pan lightly with neutral oil. Remove fillets from marinade, letting excess drip off—no need to pat dry. Discard excess marinade. Place the char fillets skin side down in the pan. Season the flesh with salt (and pepper, if you wish) to taste. Place a sheet pan upside down on the rack (see why, if you’ve forgotten, in step 1), then place the pan with the fillets in it on top. Broil 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately transfer fillets to a serving platter. Spoon sauce over top. Pass extra sauce on the side.
SEARED SOY-SESAME ARCTIC CHAR
(Cooked, Serves 4)
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.