Arctic Char w/ Roasted Apple Warm Wheat Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

Warm Wheat Salad

  • 1 cup bulgur wheat
  • 3 bay leaves, dried or fresh
  • salt for seasoning
  • pepper for seasoning
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp cooked & chopped pancetta (drained of fat)
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
  • ½ tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Melted Leeks

  • ½ stalk leek, cleaned, halved & thinly-sliced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • salt for seasoning
  • pepper for seasoning

Roasted Apples

  • 1 apple (sweet, crisp varietal such as Gala or Fuji) cut into 8-10 wedges
  • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • salt for seasoning
  • pepper for seasoning

Fish

  • 2 Arctic char fillets, 6-8 oz each (can substitute salmon)
  • salt for seasoning
  • pepper for seasoning
  • olive oil to coat pan

How-to

Cook Bulgur Wheat

  1. Bring vegetable stock to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan
  2. Pour stock over dry wheat and bay leaves, placed in a heat-resistant bowl
  3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes

Melt Leeks

  1. Heat butter and oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, and season with salt
  2. Reduce heat to low, and cook 15-20 minutes until soft and “melted” but should not take on color

Roast Apples

  1. Preheat oven to 400º
  2. Place an empty cookie sheet in the oven and let sit and heat for 15 minutes
  3. While cookie sheet is warming up, combine apple wedges, olive oil, tarragon, salt & pepper in a bowl
  4. Place apple wedges on cookie sheet and cook 7-9 minutes until roasted, flipping once halfway through the cook time- the apples should not be mushy. Set aside

Cook Fish

  1. Score fish on skin-side. Heat enough olive oil over high in a skillet until lightly-smoking
  2. Place fish fillets, skin-side down on the hot skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook fish until edges are golden brown (about 5 minutes). Do not flip the fish yet!
  3. Once edges are brown, flip the fish, and remove pan from stove-top to let fish rest in pan for 3 minutes

Assemble & Serve

  1. Lightly fluff the wheat with a fork, and fold in the apples, herbs, lemon zest, olive oil and pancetta. Place the warm wheat on a plate and top with fish
  2. Suggest topping with crispy fried leek strings and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for sheen (optional)