What Is Char?

The fine char is a fish that delights gourmets with its juicy and aromatic meat. In our product information you can read the most important information about salmon fish – and learn interesting facts from storage to preparation.

Worth knowing about char

Char is considered healthy and scores with good nutrients and low fat content. Due to their origin, char are a delicacy: The edible fish, which belong to the salmonid family, are mainly found in clear, cold and oxygen-rich fresh water, less often in salt water. Since the waters – the brook trout lives in flowing waters, the arctic char in still waters – are generally ecologically intact, the fish is also of high quality. The white or light red, juicy flesh of the char has a strong flavor. The bones are slightly softer than trout and it is easy to fillet char. Otherwise, the char is more similar to the trout than the salmon.

Purchasing and storage

Since char is now often farmed in aquaculture and ponds, the supply is greater than in the past. You can recognize char by its long, narrow body, flat head and adipose fin, which is typical of salmonids and sits just in front of the caudal fin. When buying, make sure that the char has clear eyes, red gills and a pleasant smell. The meat should feel firm when you finger pressure test it. It is best to transport the fish in a cool bag or not interrupt the cold chain for too long to prevent premature spoilage. Prepare whole specimens or char fillets as fresh as possible: never keep the fish in the cold zone of the refrigerator for more than two days. A pungent fishy odor suggests it’s already spoiled.

Kitchen tips for char

You have a choice when preparing char: you can fry, grill, or steam char. Use our recipe for pan-fried salmon trout fillet as a guide. When you cook char in the oven, the skin becomes nice and crispy. Char can also be smoked – or you can use the tender fish as an ingredient when preparing a fish soup. Whichever method you choose, ready-to-cook fish are quickly prepared: you only need to rinse the fish briefly and pat dry with paper towels.