Pan Seared Arctic Char

Pan Seared Arctic Char

Ingredients

Ingredients are listed in the directions

Directions

Pan Seared Arctic Char with Crispy Potatoes, Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce

Recipe and directions are intended for 2 people – multiply recipe as needed for the number of people being served.

A little bit of preparation ahead of time will make putting this dish together a breeze and a tasty pleasure. From start to finish, this dinner can be ready in about 40 minutes for a typical home cook.

Peel and dice potatoes into fairly big pieces (1 to 1.5 inch pieces). Par boil or cook on high in microwave for about 6-7 minutes, until tender. Remove any moister or water, so potatoes are somewhat dry for the browning process.

peel and chop garlic

remove thyme from sprigs

chop cilantro

chop dill – remove stems

snap asparagus – remove the root end of the asparagus. Asparagus has a natural snapping point. Find it by bending it’s stem and snap it off from its hardest point. You will only be using the top half or so of the asparagus.

Follow these steps to have everything ready at about the same time.
1. Pan fried crispy potatoes

par cooked potatoes for 2 servings

2 – 3 TBS butter ( if you have oil add about a tablespoon as well) – this helps the butter to not burn

1 TBS chopped garlic

1 TBS fresh thyme (florets only, no stems)

1 TBS chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

smoked paprika

Melt butter/oil in a fry pan big enough so the potatoes are not sitting on top of each other – you want an even layer to control the cooking. Toss in potatoes and fry on medium to high heat until browned. Toss every couple of minutes to brown on all sides.

While the potatoes are browning, toss in asparagus on top and cook in the same pan as the potatoes. Remove asparagus once cooked (they will soften) and place in the oven to keep warm before adding the remaining ingredients to the potatoes.

Once the potatoes are browned, add garlic, thyme, cilantro, smoked paprika and salt and pepper.

2. Hollandaise Sauce – Do NOT leave unattended!

Use one pot with a bit of water at a gentle boil and another pot or metal bowl on top to make a double boiler. Do not let the water in the pot be touching the bowl on top. The sauce will be cooked by steam heat only. Any hotter will “break” or overcook the yolks in the sauce and you’ll have scrambled egg yolks instead of a nice smooth sauce. Do NOT put the bowl on top of the water pot until you are ready to make the sauce – it’s better to start with the cool bowl.

Add 2 egg yolks to the metal bowl and whisk until well beaten

melt 1/4 cup butter in separate dish

put the bowl with the egg yolks on double boiler

while continuously whisking egg yolks, add the melted butter in a steady stream. Be sure to not over heat, lift it off the double boiler to control the heat. Whisk in juice from 1/4 to 1/2 lemon (based on personal taste). Add your smoked paprika, dill, salt and pepper. Keep whisking until the bowl is cooler to the touch or the sauce will keep cooking. To cool the bowl, you can place it on a cold wet cloth. Once done set it aside.

3. Pan Seared Arctic Char

Arctic Char – 4-6 oz per serving

butter / oil for frying- enough to have a pan that has a good layer of grease so the Char won’t stick

salt and pepper to taste

Heat pan on medium high. Melt butter/oil in fry pan. Add Char ( if there’s skin on the Char – skin side down first). Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side. I like my fish closer to a medium, so it’s not dry when cooked. If you like your fish dryer, cook it a bit longer.

Plate your fish, potatoes and asparagus. Pour Hollandaise Sauce over the Arctic Char and enjoy 😉