Sauteed Char With Hoisin Glaze

From Fish Without A Doubt

Reprinted with permission from Fish Without A Doubt by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore, copyright © 2008. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company

• Servings: 4.

This recipe is from Rich Moonen and Roy Finamore's superb all-seafood cookbook, Fish Without A Doubt. The sour sweetness of the hoisin glaze on the full-flavored Arctic char will prompt some who say they don't like fish to change their minds.

If you can't find or don't want to use char, the authors suggest you can successfully make this recipe with striped bass, swordfish or salmon.

The cookbook suggests serving this with a "Wasabi Butter Sauce," which can add another layer of flavor, but the fish is already irresistible with only the Hoisin Glaze.

Ingredients

• 4 (6-oz.) pieces char fillet, skin on
• Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Hoisin Glaze (see recipe below)

Directions

1. Heat 2 sauté pans over high heat. Meanwhile, season the char on both sides with salt and white pepper. Dust the skin lightly with flour.
2. Add a slick of oil to each pan. Set in the fillets, floured side down, and reduce the heat to medium-high. Press down on the fish with your spatula, listening for the sizzle that tells you you're making a good crust.
3. Add 1 tablespoon butter to each pan, breaking it into smaller pieces so it will melt quickly. Once the butter melts, tilt the pan and baste the fish.
4. Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side; a bit longer if you're using thicker salmon fillets. You'll see the fish cooking from the bottom up. When it is almost cooked through, turn it over and turn off the heat.
5. Let the fish sit for 30 seconds or so. Transfer to paper towels.
6. When ready to serve, use a pastry brush to paint the surface of each piece of fish with the Hoisin Glaze.

Hoisin Glaze

Sweet , spicy and thick, hoisin sauce is often referred to as Chinese barbecue sauce or seafood sauce (although it's made with soybeans). Here the sweetness is boosted by the addition of honey and it's thinned with lime juice which also adds tang.

This quick glaze turns a simple piece of fish into something special. Brush it on as soon as the fish is cooked.

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon honey
1 or 2 small garlic cloves, peeled and minced or put through a garlic press
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Stir the hoisin, lime juice, noney, garlic and cilantro together in a small bowl. Season with salt.

This can sit on the counter for a couple of hours or refrigerate it, covered, for up to 3 days.

Tip: If your fillets are smaller, you can cook all 4 pieces in one 12-inch sauté pan. If you do, use both tablespoons of butter in the single pan so that there is enough butter to baste all the fish.

Tip: In the Hoisin Glaze, the minced cilantro can be left out completely or else replaced with minced fresh parsley.