Steve “The Fly’n Hawaiian” Gardner’s Lake Trout/Arctic Char Seared Sashimi

These Asian and Pacific Island recipes translate nicely with both lakers and char.

You’ll Need

• A good frying pan that can handle some heat.

• Cooking oil. Olive or avocado oil is the best, but canola is just fine.

• Furikake (Japanese seasoned dried seaweed which is available in any Asian food section) My favorite for this application is sesame Katsuo - mirin flavor.

• Soy sauce and wasabi for dipping.

• Grated fresh ginger if you happen to have some handy, but no worries if you don’t.

Method

In Hawaii, we nearly always let freshly caught ahi tuna loins rest for 24-36 hours before using for sashimi (if over 25 lb fish).

Just like with meat, a bit of aging is necessary to have a tender, not overly chewy, slice of sashimi. It took me nearly 30 years to realize I could greatly improve the quality of my Northern Sashimi if I simply let the filet rest overnight.

Keep the best portions of the top loins of either trout or char, trimmed to “ sashimi blocks”: 1” to 2” square, and usually about 6” to 12” in length.

Put them in a Ziplock bag, pop them in the refrigerator, and let them get well chilled overnight.

Planning on taking them the next day for shore lunch? Not a problem; Pack ‘um in your cooler with ice, and you are all set.

Preparation

• Rub the loins with a bit of oil.

• Pour some furikake on a plate or sheet of waxed paper, tinfoil, or plastic wrap.

• Roll the sashimi blocks in the furikake until well coated.

• Get your frying pan hot - not smoking - but hot.

• Add a little oil to keep the fish from sticking.

• Sear the blocks very briefly, on all four sides, depending on how rare you like it. Sometimes, I enjoy coating only one or two sides of the sashimi block with furikake, and likewise, only searing that one, or two sides, leaving the other sides completely raw.

• Place the seared sashimi blocks on a cutting board, and do your best to not make a mess of it while slicing! A couple clean, swift strokes with a good, sharp filet knife should do the trick.

• Serve with a dipping sauce of soy mixed with wasabi…grated fresh ginger added in is a bonus.

Aloha!

GBLO Notes

During a shore lunch Steve was kind enough to share some lake trout with me that he had prepared in this way, and while I’m not normally a sashimi kind of guy, it was over the top delicious.

I suspect that the overall quality of this dish not only had a lot to do with how it was processed and prepared, but also because he was using trout from Great Bear Lake, which by definition, arguably qualifies as sashimi/sushi grade fish, with Tree River Char falling into the same category.