Grilled Chile-Lime Arctic Char Recipe

Grilled Chile-Lime Arctic Char Recipe

  • 7 medium garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground chipotle chile
  • 2 (1-lb) arctic char fillets with skin (about 1 1/4 inches thick)
  • Special equipment: tweezers or needlenose pliers
  • Accompaniment: lime wedges
  1. Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using a large heavy knife.
  2. Stir together garlic paste, lime juice, oil, sugar, and chipotle chile in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.
  3. Remove any bones from fish with tweezers, then pat fish dry and place, skin side down, on a plastic-wrap-lined large tray.
  4. Rub chile mixture all over flesh side of fish, then wrap plastic around fish and marinate at cool room temperature 15 minutes.
  5. While fish is marinating, prepare grill for cooking over indirect heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderately high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure
  6. To cook fish using a charcoal grill: Lightly oil grill rack, then put fish, skin side down, on grill rack with no coals underneath and grill, covered with lid, 4 minutes. Using 2 metal spatulas, loosen fish from grill rack and turn fish over, rotating 180 degrees. Grill fish, covered with lid, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more, then loosen from grill rack with spatulas and transfer to a clean platter. If desired, lift skin from fish with tongs and cook skin on rack directly over coals, turning over occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve over fish.
  7. To cook fish using a gas grill: Lightly oil grill rack, then put fish, skin side down, on rack above shut-off burner and grill, covered with lid, 4 minutes. Using 2 metal spatulas, loosen skin from grill rack and turn fish over. Grill fish, covered with lid, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more, then loosen from grill rack with spatulas and transfer to a clean platter.
  8. If desired, lift skin from fish with tongs and cook skin directly over a burner, uncovered, turning over occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve over fish.