Pan-Seared Arctic Char with Garlic Herb Butter and Crispy Skin

Crisp, golden skin meets a garlic butter sauce that turns the cherry tomatoes sweet and jammy in the pan. This arctic char dinner needs one cast iron skillet, a box grater and about 25 minutes, and it finishes with a snowfall of grated hard cheese.

Pan-seared arctic char with garlic herb butter is a fast, focused fish dinner built around one principle: sear the fish skin-side down in a hot pan and let the butter do the rest. Arctic char has a delicate, buttery flesh with a thin, flavorful skin, which makes it ideal for this method.

Finely sliced garlic, fresh dill and whole cherry tomatoes cook in the foaming butter alongside the fish, so every bite picks up herbs, garlic and a little sweetness from the tomatoes.

The dish is finished with grated hard aged cheese, which adds a savory, salty note without overpowering the fish. Prepare the garnishes first, then cook the fillets in one pan so the sauce, the tomatoes and the fish all finish together and reach the table hot.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Searing the fish skin-side down in a hot skillet renders the fat under the skin and crisps it into a thin, brittle layer while the flesh cooks gently from below. Starting in a dry, well-oiled pan and pressing the fillets flat for a few seconds keeps the skin from curling away from the metal. Once the skin releases easily, it is ready to flip.

Basting the fish with foaming butter is what makes the sauce. The butter carries the garlic, dill and tomato juices across the surface of the fillets, and the milk solids brown slightly, adding a nutty flavor.

Spooning the sauce over the flesh also keeps the top of the fish moist while the bottom crisps, so the fillet cooks evenly from edge to center.

Notes and substitutions

Arctic char is the star of this dish, and it is best with the skin left on. Its skin is thin and crisps quickly, while its flesh stays tender and mild.

Choose fillets of similar thickness so they cook at the same pace. If you use salmon or trout, choose skin-on fillets and cook them the same way, adjusting the time to the thickness of the cut.

A 12-inch cast iron skillet holds heat well and gives the skin an even, deep sear. You need a box grater for the hard cheese, a sharp knife for the garlic and dill, and metal tongs or a fish spatula to flip the fillets without tearing the skin. Use fresh dill rather than dried, since its bright flavor is central to the garlic herb butter.

• arctic char: salmon fillets or trout fillets of similar thickness, skin on
• hard aged cheese: aged pecorino or Parmesan, finely grated
• fresh dill: fresh parsley or chives, with a pinch of dried dill
• unsalted butter: salted butter, with the added salt reduced

Equipment

• 12-inch cast iron skillet
• Sharp knife
• Wooden cutting board
• Box grater
• Metal tongs
• Fish spatula