Arctic Char In A Broth With Cabbage And Mushrooms Recipes

ARCTIC CHAR IN A BROTH WITH CABBAGE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Clean the head of the cabbage by removing all the leaves and the hard stems on it. Blanch quickly in boiling water and refresh it in cold water. Clean the wild mushrooms. In a medium pot over low heat sweat the bacon and add the cabbage mix everything together until the cabbage gets very soft add the mushrooms sweat some more the add the chicken broth. Let simmer slowly until the cabbage is very soft. Add a little bit of butter and finish cooking everything. In a saute pan over high heat add oil, sear the char skin side down only. Cook the char until, medium rare .
• Finish the cabbage with a little drop of balsamic vinegar. Place the cabbage on a platter and serve the char on top .
• Serve very hot.

ARCTIC CHAR EN PAPILLOTE WITH CRISPY LEEKS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400˚ F. Tear off 4 sheets of parchment paper, 16 to 18 inches long each. Thinly slice 1 leek crosswise into half moons and divide among the parchment sheets, slightly off center. Top evenly with the thyme and parsley sprigs and 1 piece of butter each. Top each pile with a char fillet (if it's skin-on, place skin-side down) and season generously with salt and pepper. Top each fillet with another piece of butter and carefully pour about 2 tablespoons wine over each mound of ingredients.
• Fold the parchment over the fish. Starting at one corner, fold and pleat the parchment all the way around to the other corner, making sure the packet is well sealed. Carefully transfer the packets to 2 baking sheets. Bake until the fish is just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes, then carefully open the packets.
• While the fish cooks, cut the remaining leek crosswise to make 4 pieces, then slice lengthwise into thin strips. Put in a medium nonstick skillet with the olive oil and turn the heat to medium. Cook, tossing, until crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes, adding the sliced garlic for the last minute. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Top the fish with the crispy leeks and garlic and chopped parsley.

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.