Pan-Seared Arctic Char with Garlic Herb Butter and Crispy Skin Step-by-step instructions

Before you start

Gather everything before you turn on the stove, because the fish cooks fast and the butter must be ready to baste. Take the arctic char out of the refrigerator and keep it cold until you are ready to cook, with no more than 30 minutes at room temperature.

Pat the fillets very dry with paper towels, score the skin diagonally with a sharp knife and season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Finely mince the garlic cloves, chop the herbs and set them in a small bowl beside the stove. Grate the hard cheese onto a plate. Measure the butter and keep it within reach, and set out the cherry tomatoes still attached to their vine.

Instructions

Searing the skin side down

1. 1Score and season the fish
   Pat the arctic char fillets dry with paper towels. Score the skin diagonally with a sharp chef's knife, without cutting into the flesh. Season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
   Look for Skin is dry and the scores are shallow and even across the surface.
   Tip Dry skin browns and crisps far better than damp skin, so pat it thoroughly.
2. 2Mince the garlic and herbs
   Finely mince the garlic cloves and chop the herbs. Set them aside together in a small bowl. Grate the hard cheese over a small plate for serving.
   Look for Garlic is finely minced and herbs are chopped fine, ready to scatter.
   Tip Mince the garlic finely so it toasts quickly in the butter without burning.

At the end of this phase the skin should be turning golden at the edges and the butter should be foaming around the fillets. The flesh has begun to turn opaque along the sides, and you will hear a steady sizzle. Lift one corner gently with a spatula to check: the skin should release easily from the iron and look browned rather than pale.

If it sticks, leave it for another 30 seconds, since skin releases once it has crisped. The tomatoes should be starting to split and blister in the pan. Do not flip until the skin is set and golden, because turning too early tears the crust and leaves the skin soft and gray instead of crisp.

Basting with garlic herb butter

3. 3Sear the fish skin side down
   Heat the oil in the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt. Place the fillets skin side down and press lightly for 10 seconds so the skin stays flat.
   Look for Butter melts and foams, and the fish sizzles loudly when it touches the pan.
   Tip Keep the skin pressed flat so it makes full contact with the hot iron.
4. 4Add tomatoes and baste the fish
   Add the cherry tomatoes on the vine to the pan beside the fish. Spoon the foaming butter over the fillets as the skin crisps. Cook until the skin is golden and the tomatoes start to blister.
   Look for Skin turns golden at the edges and the tomatoes split and blister.
   Tip Tilt the pan slightly so the butter pools and you can baste easily.
5. 5Flip and add the garlic herb butter
   Flip the fillets with tongs. Add the remaining butter, the minced garlic and the chopped herbs to the pan. Spoon the foaming garlic herb butter over the flesh and cook until the fish is opaque and flaky at the thickest part.
   Look for Flesh turns opaque and pale pink, and the garlic smells nutty and fragrant.
   Safe temperature 145°F (63°C) internal temperature (fish)
   Tip Baste continuously so the garlic toasts gently without darkening.

At the end of this phase the fish should be opaque and flaky at the thickest point, and the garlic and herbs should smell toasty and fragrant rather than sharp. Spoon the foaming butter over the flesh continuously, watching the color of the garlic so it stays golden. The tomatoes should be blistered and softened, with juices running into the butter.

Check the thickest part of the fillet with the tip of a knife: it should separate into flakes with no translucent center. Remove the pan from the heat if the butter starts to darken too quickly, because burnt butter tastes bitter and will ruin the finish. Once the flesh flakes cleanly, the fish is ready to plate.

Crisping and plating the fish

6. 6Crisp the skin and plate
   Cook the fillets for another minute to crisp the skin fully. Transfer the fish skin side up to plates. Spoon the garlic herb butter and blistered tomatoes over the top, then finish with grated hard cheese.
   Look for Skin is crisp and golden, and the butter is glossy in the pan.
   Tip Serve immediately while the skin is still crisp.

At the end of this phase the skin should be crisp, shiny and deep golden, and the butter in the pan should be glossy and fragrant. Lift the fillets with a fish spatula, plate them skin side up so the crust stays dry, and spoon the garlic herb butter and blistered tomatoes over the top. Scatter the grated hard cheese over the fish and serve immediately. Before serving, check that the flesh is opaque all the way through and that no moisture has softened the crust. The skin loses its crispness quickly, so plating promptly is the final and most important check of this dish.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is cooking the fish over heat that is too low. The skin then renders slowly, becomes flabby and sticks to the pan, and the flesh cooks unevenly. Use medium-high heat and let the oil shimmer before the fillets go in. The second mistake is moving the fish too soon. Once the skin is in the pan, leave it alone until it releases on its own; forcing a flip tears the crust.

A third error is skipping the drying step. Wet skin steams and clings to the iron, so pat it dry and season right before cooking. Finally, avoid burning the garlic. Garlic left too long over high heat turns bitter, so add it with the butter near the end and keep the pan moving while you baste.

How to tell it’s done

The fish is done when the flesh has turned from translucent to opaque all the way through and separates into flakes when pressed gently at the thickest part with a fork or the tip of a knife. The safe internal temperature for fish is 145°F (63°C), which you can confirm with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fillet without touching the pan. The skin should be golden and crisp, not pale or soft. Arctic char is best served moist and just cooked through, so take it from the heat as soon as it reaches 145°F (63°C), since carryover heat continues to cook the flesh briefly after plating.

• Fish: 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part