One-Pan Herb Roasted Arctic Char with Asparagus and Tomatoes

That’s right folks, ONE pan!

No pots, no strainers, no scrambling around in the cupboard to find the right sized lid for the pot you’ve already pulled out and have food in. This is simple, healthy and delicious dinner at its finest. We’re talking minimal cleaning, minimal prep and so easy it’s impossible to mess up… well, unless you do something like leave your house and forget you have dinner in the oven. But aside from that, this one is foolproof.

So let’s get straight to it – your pan, also known as a baking sheet. In my house, baking sheets are seldom used for baking and far more often used for roasting sweet potatoes, balsamic glazed brussels sprouts, and genius lazy girl recipes like this. Preheat the oven while you line ‘er with a piece of parchment paper (or foil in a pinch), then arrange the asparagus, tomatoes, onion and fish in an even layer. I like to use fish with the skin on if I’m lining the pan with foil because I know the skin will stick to it, making it super easy to slide a flipper underneath to remove the flesh. (A skinless fish fillet would stick the foil, and you don’t want to risk losing any of the good stuff!) If you’re using parchment paper, either is fine.

The beauty of these ingredients is that they all require about the same cooking time, so when you take the pan out of the oven you won’t have to worry about the tomatoes being mush and the asparagus being undercooked.

Flavour-wise, this is another case where simple is best. Olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper and herbs – in this case, basil and parsley. Slather everything in that little mixture and pop it in the oven for 15 minute – boom. That’s it. Just enough time for you to get your PJs on, put on some T Swift (whose songs are finally on Spotify, by the way), throw your hair up, wash your face and diffuse some essential oils in your nebulizer to help you unwind. Well, at least that’s my list of priorities when I get home from work.

One caveat: You’ll find an optional avocado basil sauce in the recipe below, and that needs a food processor or blender. I know, I know, I said one pan only. BUT…. but but but. You can do it ahead of time if you like, or skip it entirely and remain minimalist. To be honest, I only made it because 1) I had a too-ripe avocado crying my name, and 2) once I roasted the fish, it looked a little naked in the photos on its own. The sauce turned out to be mighty tasty (is avocado ever a bad idea?) and you’ll have leftovers that you can use as a dipper or dressing for other dishes. Again though, it’s not totally necessary to make this dish a delicious success.

One-Pan Herb Roasted Arctic Char with Asparagus and Tomatoes

by Angela Simpson

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients (1 serving)

• 1 skin-on Arctic char fillet, about 150g raw weight
• 8-10 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 3 thin slices red onion
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp each minced fresh basil and parsley
• black pepper and flaked sea salt, to taste

For the avocado basil sauce (you will have lots leftover):

• 1/2 avocado, pitted and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp shredded fresh basil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2-3 tbsp water, to thin
• generous pinch of black pepper and sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare the asparagus, onion and tomatoes as directed above. Scatter them out, along with the char fillet (skin side down) on the parchment.

In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil and lemon juice. Using a basting brush, lightly coat everything on the pan. Sprinkle with the parsley, basil, sea salt and black pepper. Bake for 13 minutes.

Optional avocado basil sauce: Whirl all ingredients for the sauce in a food processor until completely smooth, thinning with a bit of water until the consistency resembles that of a salad dressing. Transfer it to a jar and set aside.

Remove the pan from the oven and arrange the vegetables on a plate. Remove the skin from the fish and arrange it on top of the vegetables.

Add a sprinkle of fresh herbs and drizzle some of the avocado basil sauce over the fish before serving.

Click here to print the recipe.

[Tweet “One-Pan Herb Roasted Arctic Char with Asparagus and Tomatoes”]

So tell me… Do you have any rituals when you get home from work at night?