Le Creuset Kitchen Sessions with Chef Joseph Lenn and Roasted Arctic Char

March 1, 2012

Roasted Arctic Char with Spring Vegetables and Beet Vinaigrette
Serves 4

For the beet vinaigrette:

1 quart beet juice
1 cup grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, reduce beet juice until syrup consistency. Remove from pan and cool. Place juice, rice wine vinegar and salt into a cylindrical container. Using an immersion blender, emulsify grapeseed oil into mixture, adding the ¼ cup of water a little at a time as the vinaigrette begins to thicken. Reserve.

For the vegetables:

4 baby red beets
4 baby golden beets
2 baby candy striped beets (shaved thinly and reserved in cold water)
½ cup spring snow peas (blanched and chilled and reserved)
½ cup pea tendrils
½ cup spring onions (blanched and chilled and reserved)

For the red and golden beets:
Place beets in an oven proof Le Creuset dish. Season beets with salt and lightly dress with olive oil. Cover dish with aluminum foil and roast beets in a 350ºF oven for 30-45 minutes until tender. Peel skin off of beets and cut into quarters and reserve.

For the Arctic char:

4 4-ounce filets
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt

Season fish with salt. Working in two batches, heat olive oil in Le Creuset sauté pan over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Place fish skin side down in the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook until skin is crispy, about 4 minutes. Turn fish over and cook for about 2-4 minutes (depending on how you enjoy your fish cooked). Remove fish from pan once cooked and place on plate.

To complete, let vegetables sit out at room temperature while you are cooking your fish. Once fish is finished and on the plate, dress the plate with the beet vinaigrette. Arrange the vegetables around the plate, alternating different vegetables. Sprinkle some sea salt over the vegetables and fish and complete with a drizzle of your favorite olive oil.

– Joseph Lenn, Executive Chef of The Barn Restaurant