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

Crispy skin, foaming garlic herb butter and blistered cherry tomatoes come together in one cast iron skillet. Arctic char cooks in minutes, so this fish dinner works on a busy weeknight. Score the skin, sear it hard, and spoon the butter over every bite until the flesh is flaky and the skin shatters.

Arctic char is a delicate, rich fish with a flavor somewhere between salmon and trout. Its skin, when it is seared properly, turns thin, golden and crisp, which makes it one of the most satisfying fillets to cook at home.

This recipe keeps everything in a single pan: the fish goes in skin side down, the vine cherry tomatoes roast alongside it, and a simple butter infused with garlic and fresh herbs is spooned over the fish as it cooks. Finish with a little grated hard cheese for savory depth. The result is a restaurant-style plate built with ordinary kitchen tools and about fifteen minutes of active cooking.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Searing the fish skin side down over steady heat renders the fat slowly under the skin and turns it crisp, while the flesh cooks gently from underneath. Scoring the skin helps it stay flat and keeps it from curling in the hot pan, so more of the surface touches the iron and browns evenly.

Basting with melted butter does two jobs at once. The foaming butter carries heat over the top of the fillet, cooking the flesh more evenly, and it carries flavor.

Adding minced garlic and herbs near the end lets them bloom in the butter without scorching, so the sauce tastes fresh rather than bitter. The tomatoes on the vine blister in the same fat, releasing sweet juices that mingle with the butter on the plate.

Notes and substitutions

Choose fillets of similar thickness so they cook at the same rate. Arctic char is sold skin on in most American fish counters, and the skin is the key to this dish, so ask for skin-on fillets and keep it intact.

Pat the skin completely dry before cooking, because moisture is the main reason skin sticks or steams instead of crisping. A pound of fish usually makes two generous portions, which is the amount this recipe is built around.

A 12-inch cast iron skillet holds two fillets with room for the cherry tomatoes and provides the steady, even heat the skin needs. Heavy stainless steel works too, but avoid nonstick, which will not brown the skin well. A chef's knife with a thin, sharp blade makes clean diagonal scores without tearing the flesh.

Fresh herbs are best here; parsley and chives give a clean, bright finish, but any soft herb you enjoy will suit the butter. Hard cheese adds a salty, nutty note, so use a finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino at the table.

• arctic char: salmon fillets or trout fillets with skin on, cooked the same way
• hard cheese: finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
• fresh herbs: a mix of parsley and thyme, or dill for a brighter flavor

Equipment

• 12-inch cast iron skillet
• wooden cutting board
• chef's knife
• fish spatula or tongs
• spoon for basting
• fine grater