Arctic Char

Level up your weeknight fish routine with a crispy, flavor-packed crust.

Chef Daniela Soto-Innes thinks of these as a Mexican take on bagels with cream cheese and lox. The addictive caramelized fish sauce vinaigrette brightens every bite.

This savory soup is just what you need in the depths of winter.

Crisp-skinned fish isn’t about high heat.

Slow-roasting fish is to cooking seafood what bumper lanes are to bowling: the definition of foolproof—and still pretty fun.

Like a fish shepherd’s pie; the zucchini helps thicken the filling, but disappears in the sauce.

It can be hard to gauge what’s happening under all that salt, but these times are accurate. If your fish is on the smaller side, take it out on the lower end of the range.

This method works well with other fish. Substitute salmon or fresh trout for the char if you like.

This light but richly flavored broth is good with any fatty, skin-on fish fillet, such as Arctic char or sea bass.

This herbaceous aioli is also terrific spooned over simply prepared vegetables, such as boiled new potatoes or roasted ramps.

Slow-roasting is the most foolproof way to get perfectly cooked salmon or char on the table tonight.

Flavor fish fillets with the Middle Eastern spice mix za’atar and then serve over couscous and sautéed greens for a totally satisfying 22-minute meal.

Can't find Arctic char? Salmon works just as well. Opt for green (aka French) lentils, which hold their shape better when tossed into a salad.

Salt-roasting is a traditional Mediterranean technique for cooking fish. The salt crust creates an almost impenetrable barrier that traps the moisture and allows the natural juices of the fish to remain—the salt never penetrates into the food itself. Salt-roasting is a great hybrid of steaming and roasting, and can be used to cook meat, poultry, and vegetables.

We never went hungry as kids. And we have no inherent fear of the next Great Depression or anxiety about canned food. Still, we always want more. Wanting and eating four of the Swedish shrimp-egg things you can buy in the restaurant at IKEA is a good example of that. Another good example is how we would have piled more stuff on this modest toast if we could have fit it: a can of sardines from Bretagne, maybe, or quails stuffed with crab hiding in the corner. Our first reaction on seeing this photo was, “Shit, we forgot clams.” There are thirty items here, and if we do another book, we will put in sixty, we promise (just so we don’t run out of food). Disclaimer: In no way do we aspire or pretend to serve authentic Scandinavian food. This is just our view projected onto a classic. The closest we have been to Scandinavia is Fred Heimlich-maneuvering a Dane who choked on the biggest oyster ever eaten raw. And it was a weird experience because it was like they kissed; they were shy around each other for the rest of the evening. In the list that follows, an asterisk means a recipe is included. If there’s no *, it means the item is straightforward and you can figure it out. We suggest serving the items on rye bread or a baguette sliced lengthwise and buttered. You then eat your open-faced sandwich with a fork and knife. Or, you can do as we do: add condiments and eat it like a military strategist, portioning, placing, moving, and rationing. Regarding yields: the smorgasbord is more of a concept than a straightforward recipe. The smorgasbord shown here serves 4 to 6, and includes every single thing listed. You don’t have to follow our lead (though we would be pleased). Typically we put 4 or 5 proteins and 4 or 5 condiments on the average smorgasbord. Following this rule, each of the small recipes serves four.

A professor of wine and spirits at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Weiss is part of our Workshop “faculty.” He teaches a wine and food pairing seminar for the participants every year and selects appropriate Cakebread Cellars wines for the evening meals. That’s no small challenge given how complex many of the chefs’ creations are, but we give Michael carte blanche in the cellar. When entertaining at home, he and his wife, Jenny, often serve their own gravlax as a first course. In place of the fresh dill that perfumes traditional gravlax, the Weisses season the fish with coriander seed, fennel seed, and lemon. The method works beautifully on farmed Arctic char, a more sustainable choice than farmed salmon. You can serve the translucent slices with toast and condiments, as described here, or on cucumber slices with a dab of crème fraîche.

Small whole fish like trout, char, walleye, bass, and even lake perch are excellent for planking, especially smoke-planking. They get the flavor of the wood plank on one side and a burnished golden color and smoky flavor on the other. An indirect fire is used to slowly cook the whole fish through. Char, in flavor and texture a cross between trout and salmon, is best planked whole. It's easier to fillet after it is cooked and stays moister that way. This method can be used with fish fillets and steaks, too. Whenever you grill fish, grill lemon halves alongside. The little bit of browning adds flavor, and the heat makes the lemons burst with juice. Suggested plank: 2 cedar grilling planks, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
Suggested wood: Sugar maple or apple chips, or chopped corncobs