Baked arctic char with mushroom hollandaise and crispy potatoes
- Published: 30 Apr 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Arctic char is a member of the salmon and trout family and, if carefully farmed, makes a good alternative to the latter two. Serve with the mushroom hollandaise sauce and crispy potatoes for a knockout dinner party main.
Check out our guide on how to make a classic hollandaise sauce for extra tips and tricks.
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Serves 2-4
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Hands-on time 25 min, oven time 25 min
Ingredients
- 600g baby new potatoes, cutinto 2-3cm chunks
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Grated zest and juice 1 lemon
- 600g fillet skinless arctic char, rainbow trout or salmon
- 25g butter, cubed
- Glug white vermouth or dry white wine
For the mushroom hollandaise
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ½ shallot, finely chopped
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 free-range egg yolks
- 110g diced unsalted butter, softened, plus an extra knob for frying the mushrooms
- 75g baby chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped, plus extra to garnish
- Salad or steamed veg to serve
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5-6 minutes until just starting to become tender. Drain well, then put in a roasting tin, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing twice, until golden and crisp. Grate over the lemon zest and toss well, adding extra sea salt to taste.
- Put the fish in a roasting tin or baking dish lined with non-stick baking paper and dot all over with the 25g butter. Pour a glug of vermouth/wine over the fish, then cover the tin/dish tightly with foil and bake for 18-20 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and feels firm to the touch. Spoon over the cooking juices and set aside to rest.
- For the hollandaise, put the vinegar, shallot, peppercorns and bay leaf in a small heavy-based pan. Reduce to 1 tbsp by bubbling over a high heat, then strain immediately into a heatproof bowl (discard the solids). Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Whisk in the egg yolks and a cube of butter, then whisk in the remaining butter, a cube at a time, until incorporated and thickened. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. Keep warm.
- Meanwhile heat an extra knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms until golden. Stir into the hollandaise along with the herbs.
- Serve the fish with the hollandaise and the potatoes, plus some seasonal salad leaves or steamed vegetables.
- Recipe from June 2018 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 640kcals
- Fat
- 43.6g (22g saturated)
- Protein
- 34.9g
- Carbohydrates
- 24g (2.6g sugars)
- Fibre
- 3.1g
- Salt
- 0.5g
delicious. tips
If the hollandaise curdles (step 3), rescue it by whisking a fresh egg yolk with a teaspoon of warm water and a knob of butter in a clean bowl until smooth, then gradually whisk in the split sauce until smooth and thick again.
Char was popular with the Victorians and is back on trend. Carefully farmed,
this is an excellent option with a fine flavour, plus it makes a good alternative to trout and salmonA ripe, rounded white such as
a Burgundian chardonnay.
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