This baked arctic char fillet with honey soy marinade makes for one easy (and scrumptious) seafood dinner that’s sure to be a family favourite!
Hey friends!
Today I’m sharing a delicious and easy seafood dinner – baked arctic char with a crazy good honey soy marinade.
I love using Newfoundland & Labrador (or Canadian) ingredients (like this moose stew recipe) whenever I can. So, when I got my little hands on some arctic char, I was elated!
This bad boy is locally (wild) caught in Labrador. How cool is that? My parents often go snowmobiling in Labrador and they picked up a fillet for me at a local fish supply store that’s known for its arctic char.
A whole fillet is baked on a sheet pan and when it’s all done, it’s garnished with colourful (and flavourful) ingredients, like chili, sesame seeds and green onion. Sounds good, right??
What Does Arctic Char Taste Like?
Arctic char fish (or ‘arctic charr’) tastes like a cross between freshwater trout and salmon (more closer to salmon (specifically Atlantic salmon), if you ask me). If you enjoy salmon (like I do) you’ll likely enjoy arctic char too!
It’s interior flesh can range in colour from a pale pink (like what was used in this recipe) to more of a brighter deep red hue.
Honey Soy Marinade for Fish
Guys, this honey soy marinade is unbelievably easy to whip up and so freaking good! There’s soy sauce, honey, hot sauce, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. With those flavourful ingredients, you know it’s going to be tasty!
How to Cook Arctic Char
You cook arctic char much like you would salmon. Even if your fish is labelled ‘boneless’, I always recommend checking for bones before preparing.
Run your finger slowly along the fish fillet and pluck them out. This is a great guide on how to remove pin bones from fish fillets.
Note: Detailed instructions on how to cook arctic char is in the recipe card below, but here are the basics.
- Whisk up your marinade ingredients and lay to one side.
- Check arctic char for bones and remove/discard (if any). Then, pat dry of any excess moisture with some paper towel.
- Place fillet in a baking dish and pour marinade over top. Flip fillet over to ensure everything is well coated. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Next, pour off marinade (don’t discard as it will be reduced for a honey soy glaze after the fillet is cooked). I also like to scrape off most of the garlic and ginger and put in with the marinade. Place fillet on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake.
- Pour marinade into a small pot and reduce on low (do this while the arctic char is cooking).
- Once arctic char is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, carefully remove from the oven.
- Brush or drizzle over reduced marinade.
- Garnish the fillet with chili, sesame seeds and green onion and squeeze over some fresh lime juice. Enjoy!
How Long to Cook Arctic Char
The fillet that was used in this recipe was about 1 inch thick (at the thickest part). At 400 degrees Fahrenheit, I like to cook between 12 to 15 minutes (it’s usually good for me at the 12 minute mark).
Note: Cook time can vary depending on the temperature of your seafood before cooking and its thickness. Heat until it’s cooked through, is opaque and flakes easily with a fork when prodded.
Can You Eat The Skin?
Indeed you can. However, because this arctic char is baked (and not, say, pan fried), the skin doesn’t get crispy so I don’t eat when it’s prepared this way.
If you like to remove and crisp up, you can totally do that! Serve on the side or crumble over your cooked fish.
Is Arctic Char a Sustainable Fish?
Yes!
What I love about arctic char (specifically the fillet used here) is that it’s wild caught and also a sustainable seafood.
This cold water fish can also be found farmed, but if I can get access to wild, that’s what I’m going for!
Can I Make This Recipe With Another Type of Fish?
Absolutely! I realize that not everyone may be able to obtain arctic char fillet.
Still want to try this marinated seafood recipe? Use salmon fillet instead!
More Tips & Variations
You can often find smoked arctic char or simply a ‘natural’ fillet arctic char. The straight up natural arctic char fillet was used in this recipe.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days.
Leftovers are SO good on a salad!
For presentation purposes, I didn’t fold under the tail of the fillet. As that is the thinnest part of the fish, it cooks more quickly than the centre portion does. You can fold the tail end underneath (as to not overcook) if you wish.
For this recipe, the fillet was left whole (but you can cut into smaller portions).
Chopped cilantro or micro greens would also be yummy garnish options.
Sides to Serve With Fish
The star of this fish dinner is the arctic char, in my opinion, but if you are looking for some sides to make it more of a meal, it’s delicious with –
- Roasted veggies, like cauliflower or broccoli
- Grilled asparagus
- Mixed green salad
- Garlicky mashed potatoes
- Celeriac puree
- Cauliflower rice
- Fried rice
- Quinoa
Other Easy Seafood Recipes You May Enjoy
- Oven Baked Cod with Lemon & Dill – This easy sheet pan dinner is on the table in about 20 minutes, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Honey Mustard Salmon – Perfectly portioned for two (but easily doubled), this seafood dinner is easy to prepare and so delicious.
- Newfoundland Cod au Gratin – A Newfoundland classic! Cod is baked up with a creamy sauce and topped with cheese and bread crumbs…what’s not to love?
- Traditional Newfoundland Salt Cod Fish Cakes – My mother in law’s recipe! These fish cakes are savoury, delicious and so good for just about any meal of the day!
Hope you love this easy seafood dinner as much as we do!
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon,
Dawn
Make this baked arctic char recipe? That’s awesome! Love it if you left a comment and rating below. Many thanks!
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Baked Arctic Char (with honey soy marinade)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten free (if you want this recipe to be gluten free) or low sodium (if you want to keep the sodium down))
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger , minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1.5 pounds arctic char fillet (skin on/bones removed)
Recommended Garnish Options
- sesame seeds – garnish, to taste
- green onion – garnish, to taste
- sliced chili – garnish, to taste
- lime juice – to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small dish, whisk, soy sauce, honey, ginger, sesame oil, sriracha and garlic.
- Pat side of arctic char dry with paper towel and place in a baking dish. Pour over marinade and turn arctic char to get marinade all over. Let marinade for 30 minutes.
- Remove arctic char from marinade and reserve marinade (I like to scrape off most of the minced garlic/ginger and keep for marinade).
- Place arctic char on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until it's cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.Note: Time will vary depending on the size/thickness of your fillet. The fillet used in this recipe was about 1 inch thick at the thickest part. Check on at the 12 minute mark and see how it is. If it isn't cooked, continue cooking until it is.
- While arctic char is cooking, place reserved marinade in a small pot and heat on low until reduced and thickened slightly/coats the back of a spoon when you draw your finger through it.
- Once fish is cooked and marinade has thickened/reduced, drizzle over cooked fish, along with sprinkling of sesame seeds, green onion, chili and squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can often find smoked arctic char or simply a ‘natural’ fillet arctic char. The straight up natural arctic char fillet was used in this recipe.
- Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days. P.S. Leftovers are so good on a salad!
- For presentation purposes, I didn’t fold under the tail of the fillet. As that is the thinnest part of the fish, it cooks more quickly than the centre portion does. You can fold the tail end underneath (as to not overcook) if you wish.
- For this recipe, the fillet was left whole (but you can cut into smaller portions).
- Chopped cilantro or micro greens would also be yummy garnish options.
