Whole Roasted Arctic Char

Here's a quick and easy technique for cooking whole fish. It's extremely easy with minimal prep time. Change things up with different flavor profiles for the herbs and spices. 

INGREDIENTS:
1 3-4 lbs whole arctic char
3 TBSP kosher salt
1 TBSP black pepper
3-5 medium lemons
3-4 TBSP olive oil
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of basil
1 small bunch of thyme (20 sprigs or so)
2-3 sprigs of rosemary
1 stalk lemongrass
4 whole star anise
2 tsp  whole black pepper corn
1 head of garlic

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Have your fishmonger gut, scale, and de fin the fish. Rub the fish with coarse salt and lemon juice and let sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature. Rinse the fish with water inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Score the fish in inch increments on both sides. This means, cut about ½ inch in to the meat along the length of the fish every inch. Lightly coat the fish in 1-2 TBSP of olive oil. Season liberally with salt and black pepper both inside and outside ensuring that the seasonings make their way in to the scored cuts.

Cut 3-5 lemons in ½ in slices. In a medium sized sauté pan with olive oil over high heat, brown the lemon slices on both sides until golden and caramelized. Season lightly with salt.

On a large baking sheet, lay out 2 sheets of foil long & wide enough to enclose the fish in a foil cave. Drizzle 1 TBSP olive oil in the center in the shape of where the fish will lie. Lay out half of the fresh parsley, basil, thyme, and rosemary. Cut the lemon gras in half and using the back of your chef’s knife, hammer the length of both halve to open it up and activate it. Lay half of the lemon grass on top of the bed of herbs. Add a 2 star anise and 1 tsp of black pepper corns on top of the bed. Lay out 1/3 of the lemon slices on top of the bed along with 3 whole cloves of garlic.

Lay the fish on top of the bed. Stuff the fish with 1/3 of the lemon slices and 3 whole cloves of garlic. Then in reverse order, place the remaining garlic, lemons slices, pepper corns, star anise, lemon grass, and herbs. Drizzle liberally with olive and wrap the fish loosely in a foil cocoon. Ensure the seal is airtight. Place in the center of the oven and cook 30 - 40 minutes or until the inner flesh is just opaque. Don’t be afraid, dig in to one of the scored cuts and check for doneness. Let the fish rest for 5-10 min.