Baked Arctic Char Recipe with Lemon and Herbs

Name: Baked Arctic Char Recipe with Lemon and Herbs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 (5.5oz) Arctic char portions, skin on, sushi grade from Iceland; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 lemon, half sliced into thin rounds, half reserved for juice; 2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced; 1/2 tsp Arctic Herb Icelandic sea salt, or flaky sea salt; to taste freshly ground black pepper

Nutrition

Nutrition FactsPer serving, 1 fillet (156g), 2 servings per recipe

290

Calories

31g

Protein

62% DV

16g

Fat

21% DV

Carbs

1% DV

Fats	% DV*
Total Fat 16g	21%
Saturated 3g	16%
Trans 0g
Polyunsaturated 3g
Monounsaturated 8g
Cholesterol 90mg	30%
Sodium 560mg	24%

Carbs, Protein & Micronutrients	% DV*
Total Carbohydrate 4g	1%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 31g	62%
Vitamin D 25mcg	125%
Vitamin B12 6.7mcg	280%
Selenium 37mcg	67%

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. Values are estimates and will vary with portion size and preparation.

Ingredients

Makes2 Servings

2 (5.5oz) Arctic char portions, skin on, sushi grade from IcelandFeatured
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, half sliced into thin rounds, half reserved for juice
2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Arctic Herb Icelandic sea salt, or flaky sea salt
to taste freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat the oven to 325F with a rack in the middle position.
Line a sheet pan or small baking dish with parchment.
Take the char out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking and pat it dry.
Slice half the lemon into thin rounds and reserve the other half.
Roughly chop the dill and parsley, keeping half of each for finishing.
Thinly slice the garlic clove.

How to Cook

Dry and season
Pat the char dry one more time and lay the fillets skin side down on the parchment, each on a bed of lemon rounds. The lemon lifts the skin off the pan so it steams gently instead of sticking, and it perfumes the fish from below. Rub the flesh with the olive oil, then season with the sea salt and a few turns of pepper. Salt now rather than later so it has time to dissolve into the surface. The fish should look glossy, not swimming in oil.
Add garlic and herbs
Scatter the sliced garlic over the fillets and press half the chopped dill and parsley onto the flesh. Garlic goes on top rather than underneath so it softens in the oil without scorching against the hot pan. Herbs baked this way give their oils to the fish and lose their color, which is why the other half waits for the end. Leave a little space between the fillets so hot air can move around them and both cook at the same rate.
Bake low and gentle
Slide the pan into the 325F oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, checking at 12. For a restaurant-style result, pull the fish when the thickest part reads 125F to 130F and the center is just turning from translucent to opaque. The FDA and the USDA set the safe minimum at 145F, where the flesh is fully opaque and separates easily with a fork. Either is a legitimate choice, and yours to make. Without a thermometer, press the top: it should flake under gentle pressure, with a little white protein just starting to bead at the seams.
Rest and finish
Move the pan to a rack and leave the fish alone for three minutes. Carryover heat lifts the center another few degrees, so a fillet pulled at 125F lands near 130F. Squeeze the reserved lemon half over the top, scatter the remaining fresh dill and parsley, and finish with a pinch of the Arctic Herb salt for crunch. Lift each fillet with a thin spatula. Properly cooked char slides off its skin cleanly if you would rather leave the skin behind, or comes up with it if you like it.

How to Serve

Char has a delicate texture, so serve it on a warm plate and do not bury it. It wants acid, a little fat, and something with texture beside it. A few habits that make a difference:

Plate the fish on top of its sides rather than next to them, so the juices run down into whatever is underneath.
Serve the lemon rounds it baked on. They soften and turn sweet in the oven, and people like to eat them.
Eat the skin if it is crisp, or leave it on the plate if it is soft. Baked skin is tender rather than crackling, which some people love and others skip.

What to serve it with. Keep the sides simple so the char stays the point. Four that work:

Boiled new potatoes tossed with butter and more dill, the classic Nordic pairing.
Blistered green beans or asparagus with a squeeze of the same lemon.
A cucumber and red onion salad with a sharp vinegar dressing to cut the richness.
Rye bread or crusty sourdough to catch the pan juices.

FAQ

What Is Arctic Char and How Does It Compare to Salmon?

Arctic char is a cold-water salmonid in the same genus as brook trout and Dolly Varden. Its flesh is pink to orange like salmon, but the fillets are thinner, the flavor is milder, and the texture is finer and closer to trout. It has good fat content, spread evenly through the flesh rather than concentrated in bands, so it stays moist with less effort. Cook it the way you would cook salmon, then pull it a few minutes sooner.

Can I Use Frozen Arctic Char for This Recipe?

Yes, and frozen char is genuinely fine for baking as long as it thaws properly. Thaw it overnight in the fridge on a plate, never on the counter, and pat it very dry before it goes in the oven, since thawed fish releases more surface moisture than fresh. Our guide to safely thawing seafood walks through the timing. Fresh, never-frozen char holds a slightly firmer texture, which is why we ship it that way, but the difference in a baked dish is small.

How Do I Know When Arctic Char Is Done?

With a thermometer, 125F to 130F at the thickest point gives you a moist, restaurant-style center, and 145F is the FDA and USDA safe minimum. Without one, watch two cues. The flesh changes from translucent and glassy to opaque, and it flakes when you press the top gently with a fork. If white beads of protein are pouring out of the seams, it has gone past done. Because char is thin, check early and check often.

Can I Cook Arctic Char Another Way?

Char takes to almost every method that suits salmon or trout. Pan-searing skin side down gives you crisp skin in about six minutes total. Grilling over medium heat on foil or a cedar plank works well because the fillet is too delicate for bare grates. Poaching in barely simmering water with lemon and dill is the gentlest route of all. Our guide to the best ways to cook fish compares each method and when to use it.