Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Arctic Char

If you like Newfoundland Salmon as a fish then you will love the Arctic char from Pangnirtung Nunavut. Everyone in our group could literally eat raw chunks of char all day long (yes, it's that good).

During our trip to Pangnirtung Nunavut in March 2013 we had the good fortune to meet up with some hunters coming back with their catch. In the winter Arctic Char is caught in nets placed under the ice. Because of the cold temperatures and excellent ice conditions in the inlets around Cumberland Sound, the sea ice is frozen an average of 50+ kilometers offshore in mid winter. That means hunters must make a 2-3 hour journey just to get the the flow edge, where the ice meets the open water.

Arctic Char is a tasty fish. During the snowkite festival, Martin Hanzalek and I ate char whenever we got the chance to. We cooked some, but most of it we just ate raw. The Arctic Char we had was very red/pink, super firm, and a stunning example of an arctic salmonoid species.

No comments: