Arctic Char Ceviche with Rhubarb Vinegar

This dish captures the phenomenal flavour of Artic char in a ceviche. The citrus in the rhubarb vinegar “cooks” the fish and enhances the flavours of the char. A flavour explosion!

Ingredients:

Rhubarb Vinegar:

• 1 ½ cups (350 ml) frozen chopped rhubarb (or 3-4 stalks fresh, you can substitute cranberries)
• 2 cups (470 ml) red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fennel seeds
• 2 layers of small square of cheesecloth

Ceviche:

• 12-ounce (340 g) fillet of Arctic char
• 2 clementine oranges
• 2 limes
• Micro cilantro (to garnish)

Special Equipment:

Cheesecloth

Method:

• Lay the fillet on the cutting board with the skin side flat on the board. Starting at the tail, press a sharp knife in, at a shallow angle, separating the flesh and the skin. Release enough of the skin that you can grasp it between the thumb and forefinger of your ‘non-cutting’ hand. Hold the skin tightly (‘pulling’) and cut in the opposite direction (‘pushing’), with the knife angled towards (but not ‘through’) the skin. Use long steady cuts to prevent tearing. The skin should come off in one piece with very little meat left on it.
• Cut the (now skinless) fillet into ½ inch (1.25 cm) cubes, transfer to a bowl and reserve in the refrigerator.
• Combine half of the Rhubarb Vinegar with the cubed Arctic Char fillet, cover and refrigerate until needed, at least 1 hour.
• Reserve the remaining Rhubarb Vinegar for plating.
• ‘Supreme’ the citrus: use a sharp knife to remove the tops and bottoms from 2 clementine oranges and 2 limes. Remove the peels completely by cutting strips, from top to bottom, following the shape of the fruit. Remove individual segments by making slices on either side of each of the white segment walls. Flick away any seeds left in the wedge with the tip of your knife. When finished, only the best, juicy parts of the fruit segments, aka, the ‘supremes’, should remain.
• Reserve the supremes in the refrigerator until needed (keep limes and oranges separate for best presentation).
• Select 6 small serving bowls for the Ceviche and chill for plating.
• Before plating, drain the cured Arctic Char, discarding the liquid.
• Divide the drained cured fish into the 6 chilled serving bowls.
• Top with a few segments each of the citrus supremes.
• Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the reserved Rhubarb Vinegar to each bowl.
• Garnish with micro cilantro.
• Serve immediately.