Char (Ombre-Chevalier)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small saucepan for clarifying butter
• •Two broad fish spatulas
• •Ovenproof oval serving platter
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the char

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and place an ovenproof serving platter inside. Check each fish cavity and scrape away any dark blood line along the backbone with the edge of a spoon, then wipe the fish clean. Dry the skin and cavity meticulously with towels. Damp fish softens its flour coating and sticks to the skillet, while a dry surface browns cleanly. Leave the char unseasoned while you prepare the butter so the salt cannot draw fresh moisture to the surface.

   Fresh char should have clear, full eyes, bright gills, taut skin, and a clean mineral scent. This fish loses its delicacy quickly, so judge it with your senses before you judge its pedigree.
2. 2

   Clarify the butter

   Melt 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) of the butter gently in a small saucepan. Let the white foam rise, skim it away, then pour the clear golden butterfat into a cup, leaving the milky sediment behind. This beurre clarifié, clarified butter, tolerates the heat needed for a golden crust without scorching. Keep the remaining 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) whole and cool for the beurre noisette.

3. 3

   Flour the first pair

   Set the flour in a wide shallow dish. Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet over medium-high heat while you season two char inside and out with half the salt and white pepper. Roll them lightly in the flour, including the cavities, then shake and brush away every loose patch. You want a veil, not a coat. Flour only these first two fish, and carry them directly to the hot pan.

4. 4

   Sauté in batches

   Add half the beurre clarifié to the skillet. When it shimmers without smoking, lay in the first two fish with space between them. Cook without nudging for 3 to 4 minutes, until the underside is evenly golden and releases when lifted with a broad spatula. Turn each fish carefully with two spatulas and cook the second side for another 3 to 4 minutes. The flesh is ready when it reaches 145°F (63°C) at the thickest point or parts from the backbone with gentle pressure. If the coating races dark before the centre is done, lower the heat, slide the skillet partly off the burner, and finish the fish in the low oven for 2 to 4 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Transfer the first pair to the warm platter, flour the remaining seasoned fish, and repeat with the remaining beurre clarifié.

   Use one broad spatula beneath the fish and a second against its upper side when turning. A small whole char is delicate once cooked, and tongs can tear both skin and flesh.
5. 5

   Make beurre noisette

   Remove the fish and discard the used frying fat, then wipe every flour crumb from the skillet. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) whole butter over medium heat. Swirl as it melts and foams; when the foam becomes fine and the milk solids turn the colour of toasted hazelnuts, remove the skillet from the heat. Add the lemon juice carefully, then stir in the parsley. If the butter darkens too quickly but has not turned black, decant it immediately into a cool bowl, leaving the darkest solids behind, and add the lemon there to arrest the cooking. Ça se rattrape. Black butter is bitter and cannot be disguised, so stop at chestnut-brown flecks.

6. 6

   Sauce and serve

   Bring the warm platter from the oven and arrange the char in a single layer. Spoon the beurre noisette over each fish, carrying plenty of the parsley and toasted butter solids with it, and let the sauce pool generously beneath them. Add the lemon wedges and serve immediately. The crust waits for no speech, however charming. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Small whole char, between 8 and 10 inches (20 to 25 cm), is the fish the source describes and the size this method protects best. If char is out of season or has traveled badly, use equally sized whole trout. The classical entry itself sends char to the trout repertoire, so this is its honest cousin, not an imitation.
• •For a larger char, don't force it into this timing. Ask the fishmonger for fillets and cook them skin-side first as you would salmon trout; the thicker fish needs a longer, gentler finish than these small whole specimens.
• •Clarified butter belongs in the pan because its milk solids have been removed and cannot burn at sautéing heat. Whole butter belongs in the finish because those same milk solids are what become fragrant and hazelnut-brown. C'est la même grammaire, but each butter has its proper sentence.
• •Serve with small boiled potatoes rolled in butter or slender green beans, nothing that competes with the fish. A dry Apremont from Savoie or a Swiss Chasselas keeps the lake-country register clear and cuts cleanly through the beurre noisette.
• •To serve a whole char neatly, cut along the backbone, lift away the upper fillet, then raise the head and skeleton in one piece before serving the lower fillet. The first fish may look less tidy than the fourth. Never apologize at your own table.

Advance Preparation

• •Have the fishmonger scale, gut, and trim the char. Up to 4 hours before cooking, clean the cavities, dry the fish thoroughly, and refrigerate them uncovered on a towel-lined tray. Bring them out 15 minutes before they meet the pan.
• •The butter can be clarified up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Warm it only enough to liquefy before sautéing.
• •Measure the flour and chop the parsley up to 2 hours ahead, keeping the parsley covered and cold. Juice the lemon shortly before cooking, and never flour the fish in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)