Erik’s Butter-Basted Arctic Char with Dill Potatoes and Crème Fraîche Sauce

Erik crisps the skin of the Arctic char in beef tallow, then bastes the fish with browned lemon butter. He serves it over small potatoes boiled with dill, with a seared lemon half and a cold crème fraîche sauce with cornichons, white onion and honey. Allow about 35–40 minutes.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 900 g skin-on Arctic char fillets
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt for the fish
• 1–2 tbsp beef tallow for frying
• 50 g butter
• 2 lemons, using the finely grated zest of half a lemon in the sauce
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill to serve
• 800 g small skin-on potatoes
• 3–4 sprigs fresh dill for the potatoes, stalks attached if possible
• water to just cover the potatoes
• about 1 tsp per litre of water salt for the potatoes
• 300 ml crème fraîche
• 75 ml finely chopped cornichons, about 50 g
• ½ small white onion, finely chopped
• 50 ml finely chopped fresh dill for the sauce
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1–2 tsp honey
• 2 ml Celtic sea salt for the sauce, or to taste
• 1 ml ground white pepper, or to taste

Method

1. Remove any pin bones from the char. Lightly salt the flesh and refrigerate while you prepare the potatoes and sauce.
2. Scrub the potatoes and put them whole in a saucepan. Add just enough water to cover, then add salt and the dill sprigs. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain.
3. Wash the lemons and finely grate the yellow zest from half a lemon. Finely chop the cornichons, onion and dill. Fold them and the zest into the crème fraîche with the vinegar and honey. Season with salt and white pepper, stir just until combined and chill.
4. Cut the fillets into pieces that fit the pan and pat the skin dry. Heat the tallow in a frying pan and add the fish skin-side down, in batches if needed. When the skin is crisp and the flesh has turned opaque about four-fifths of the way up the side, transfer the fish to a plate and pour off the tallow.
5. Halve both lemons and put all four halves cut-side down in the pan. Add the butter and let it foam and turn golden brown as the lemons sear. Lift out the lemons and return the fish skin-side up. Spoon the lemon butter over the fish for about 30 seconds.
6. Put a few potatoes in the centre of each plate and set a piece of char on top, skin-side up. Spoon over the butter and scatter with dill. Serve with a seared lemon half and a generous spoonful of the chilled sauce.