Arctic Char; the new salmon on British menus?

Welcome to our new series of seafood and fish recipes on Avocado Sweet by Elaine Hardie from Fyfe Smokery, Dunfermline. Here Elaine tells us about Arctic Char – worth considering as an alternative to salmon or trout.

Arctic Char

The Arctic Char is a fish native to Britain, and is now farmed as a result of ongoing developments in aquaculture since the 1970s. Now that it is being farmed could it be a future staple on the British menu? Char thrive in the fresh icy waters off Iceland and are highly sustainable, closely related to both salmon and freshwater trout. The flesh is a beautiful pink hue, and is prized for its delicate texture and clean, mild flavour. The price is around the same as salmon, and is well suited to sharp flavours such as the Asian recipe below.

Asian Grilled Char

2 x 150g Arctic Char fillets

1tbs Dijon Mustard

1.5tbs Soy Sauce

3tbs good Olive Oil

1 crushed garlic clove

Serves 2

Mix all marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.

Drizzle half over fish and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Place Char skin side down on a hot grill pan or oiled frying pan, discard the marinade it was sitting in.

Cook for 4-5 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish, then carefully turn over and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down, and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and serve warm with stir fried vegetables.