Eatdrink #44 November/December 2013

60 www.eatdrink.ca
Slow-Baked Arctic Char with Crisp Potatoes
Slow baking fish is not timeconsuming.
I like slow baking
fish because you get a very
even colour and a slightly softer
texture than when you use high
temperatures. The vegetable
accompaniment cooks on top of
the stove. The herb butter, with
its refreshing lemony saltiness,
makes the char even better.
Leftover herb butter will keep
refrigerated for a week or frozen
indefinitely.
Serves 4
№ 44 | November/December 2013
Crisp Potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 oz (55 g) bacon or pancetta,
diced
4 cups diced unpeeled red
potatoes
4 oz (115 g) shiitake mushrooms,
stemmed and diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Herb Butter
¼ cup chopped shallots
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp capers
2 tsp chopped fresh lemon
thyme
1 tsp grated lemon zest
¾ cup butter, softened
4 skin-on Arctic char fillets (8
oz/225 g each)
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high
heat. Add pancetta and sauté for 1 minute. Add
potatoes and sauté, stirring occasionally, until
a few potatoes start to brown, about 2 minutes
more. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook
for 8 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Uncover skillet, add mush- rooms, season with salt
and pepper and stir everything together. Cover
again and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes or until
mushrooms are tender and potatoes are golden.
Sprinkle with parsley. Reserve.
Combine shallots, parsley, chives, capers, lemon
thyme and lemon zest while potatoes are cooking.
Mix into butter.
Place char fillets skin side down in an oiled baking
dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush each
fillet with about 1 tsp herb butter.
Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until white juices are
just beginning to appear. Place fish on serving
plates and dot with remaining herb butter.
Reheat potato mixture and serve with the fish.
PAIrinG: Pinot gris
This is the alter ego of pinot grigio. With the
popularity explosion of easy-sipping Italian
pinot grigio, a naming convention arose. Crisp,
simple quaffs tend to get slapped with the
grigio moniker, while more substantial “serious”
wines are called pinot gris (though there are
exceptions). The “serious” version is a specialty
of Alsace in France as well as Oregon and British
Columbia. The medium weight and subtle
fruitiness find their mark with this delicate fish
and earthy potato-based side.