Arctic Char for Two with Gulf of St. Lawrence Snow Crab
Some chefs have decided cedar-planked fish is out of fashion, but we are still making it into the 2000s for two reasons: because it’s delicious and because our friend Mathieu, who is an amazing sculptor, will sometimes show up with some pretty radical cedar boards. Before starting this recipe, it’s a good idea to fill up the sink and soak your cedar board in cold water for as long as you can. This prevents a fire and makes the board a perfect steam generator for cooking the fish.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves (you guessed it) 2
Ingredients
WAX BEANS AND CLAMS
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Step 2
To make the crab stuffing, in a bowl, combine the crab, chives, dill, egg, bread, mustard, and capers and mix gently. Season lightly with salt and about 6 turns of pepper.
Step 3
Stuff the crab mixture into the fish cavity and cover the opening with the bacon slices—like a bacon fence—to hold the stuffing in place. Tie with kitchen twine in 4 or 5 spots down the fish to hold everything in place. Sneak those bay leaves under the twine. Drizzle the oil over the fish, and season again lightly with salt and pepper.
Step 4
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a metal skewer inserted in the thickest part of the fish and then withdrawn is hot when you touch it to your chin. If you have an instant-read thermometer, that’s about 140°F (60°C).
Step 5
Remove the fish from the oven, transfer it to a platter, and snip the twine. Using a serrated knife, slice the fish along the twine grooves. Bring the whole fish on the platter to the table and serve each piece of fish with a heaping spoonful of beans and clams on the side.
WAX BEANS AND CLAMS
Step 6
In a large frying pan or sauté pan, melt half of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the clams, beans, wine, garlic, chile, and smoked paprika. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the clams open. Lift the lid and peek occasionally to make sure the pan doesn’t go dry. If it does, add a little water.
Step 7
Uncover and pick out and discard any clams that failed to open. Add the remaining butter, the almonds, and the green onion and toss to mix evenly and melt the butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
