Citrus Crusted Arctic Char with Mixed Greens

Arctic Char, citrus crusted with mixed greens, succulent, moist, flaky, and flavorful. A great addition to the weekly meal plan.

Sometimes it is not easy finding fresh fish or this Arctic char we have here. Whether it be from the ocean or the sea, especially us, we are located over a thousand kilometers from the west coast of Canada, and way way more to the east. But thanks to word of mouth and local fish markets and of course modern technology in aviation flight it is possible to taste this Arctic Char at it's freshest it can be.

Just a few weeks ago in Calgary we were having dinner at a friends house. Conversation flowing, beautiful food being eaten, of course topics eventually reverting to food, recipes and where to get the best sea food and fish in Edmonton. This is where Ocean Odyssey Fish Market came up. We wasted no time in finding the market and tasting their product. There were many varieties of fish from sea bass, to coho salmon, but one fish in particular caught our attention. The Arctic Char, we were told by the people there at Ocean Odyssey that is was flown in from Iceland.  The fish stays quite fresh in travel due to the extreme cold temperatures of the water in the North Atlantic  surrounding Iceland. I have only tasted Arctic Char once before. The flavor stuck with me with its richness, and moistness of course if cooked properly so into our basket it went and the drive home was a highway of ideas and creativity. Opening the package that the Arctic Char came in was fantastic, the smell of the North Atlantic coming to the forefront and that beautiful tender smooth flesh of this fish to the touch was amazing truly a fresh product that I am so excited to prepare and eventually eat. So with that being said, the winning creative idea for this Arctic Char is to top it with a bread crumb mixture flavored with some spices and lime juice., serving it with some wonderful greens. There you have it  Citrus Crusted Arctic Char with Mixed greens.

Let's get this Arctic Char dish started!

The bread crumb mixture that will be the topper to this beautiful Arctic Char is a blend of breadcrumbs that I made using my Father's tasty homemade bread, some extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, fresh chopped parsley, fresh thyme chopped, a nice scallion minced, some onion and garlic powder, and the clincher lime zest and lime juice. Salt and pepper always a must for fish, so in that goes. A nice toss and a little standing time for all those flavors to fuse into the breadcrumbs. I almost forgot the breadcrumbs as I told you were from a homemade loaf  that I cut into thick slices and drizzled a little olive oil over. Then in it goes to a hot oven to get all golden brown and toasty. Once that is done a good hand crushing, but not too fine. I want that texture to be present on this Arctic Char.

Prepping the Arctic Char is so simple and easy. A quick dusting of salt and pepper. A nice drizzle of olive oil on top and in the baking dish. Then the top, with a small spoon carefully placing the breadcrumb mixture on top of the fish. I didn't want to cover all of the fish as it has such a vibrant dusty rose color to it, and I wanted to keep that color in the presentation. I put a few drops of olive oil on the breadcrumb mixture knowing this would help in creating that crust I so wanted. Into a somewhat 225 degree F warm oven for 25 minutes. This low temperature will cook the Arctic Char slowly and ensure that the moistness of this fish will be preserved. A last final minute on a low broil just to get that crust to where it needs to be and this fish is ready to serve. We wanted to keep this pretty simple so we decided a nice side salad of mixed greens. Keeping in that fresh and citrus feel blending some olive oil extra virgin of course and some salt, pepper, and that wonderful lime juice and we are set.

The flavor of this Arctic Char is amazing, rich, smooth, moist, flaky. Oceanic hints coming through, combined with the tart of the lime zest and lime juice, soothed by the breadcrumbs and little surprise hits of parsley, scallions, and thyme. The texture a dichotomy of soft and crunchy comes in every bite as the Arctic Char melts in your mouth followed by that nice crunch of the breadcrumb crust. The salad fresh, organic, peppery, buttery, tart, sweet, a plethora of joy for your taste buds, and a perfect pairing with the fish. This recipe would be a great blend to add to your weekly meal plan. One that I think you will enjoy immensely. Thanks to Ocean Odyssey for the wonderful product, the organic farmers for great greens, The Italian Center for the wonderful Olive oils brought in, Simons for the great props, and especially to my beautiful wife, who is always a blessing and great partner in the kitchen.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Enjoy!

Song of the day: "Oceano" by Josh Groban.

Citrus Crusted Arctic Char with Mixed greens

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• Author: Loreto
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

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• 1 lb of fresh Arctic Char fillets
• ½ cup of coarse bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 scallion chopped fine
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped fine
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp fresh lime zest
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Pinch of garlic powder
• Pinch of onion powder
• Salt and pepper

Salad:

• 2 cups mixed organic greens
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Take Arctic Char out of the fridge 10 minutes prior to cooking.
2. Drizzle some olive oil onto fish and coat both sides, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Place Arctic Char into an oven safe dish.
4. Preheat oven to 325° F.
5. In a bowl toss in bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, parsley, scallions, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and mix well.
6. Place bread crumb mixture on top of Artic char fillets and press down gently.
7. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, and place a couple of lime wedges in the dish and put in oven.
8. Cook for 25 minutes
9. Take out of oven and plate.

Salad:

1. Place salad in a bowl and blend in olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.
2. Plate with fish.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4 servings

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Loreto

When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.