Pan-Seared Arctic Char with Miso-Glazed Butternut Squash and Tamarind Sauce

I fell in love with tamarind during my tenure at Tabla, and have continued finding new ways to add its sweet-sour flavor and fruity acidity to marinades, broths, glazes, and dressings. Here, I use it to create a sweet-sour sauce that has a big hit of black pepper and coriander flavors. The sauce will be intense when you taste it by itself, but when paired with fish and sweet roasted squash, its flavor mellows out and pulls everything together. You’ll find tamarind paste sold in two different forms at most Asian markets: as dense blocks (usually labeled “tamarind pulp”) or in jars of “tamarind paste.” I usually work with the less-refined pulp, steeping it in water or another liquid to loosen it up, then straining out the seeds.

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Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F and place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the squash in half crosswise (where the bulbous bottom meets the narrower top) and reserve the top half for another use. Peel the bottom half, cut it in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into blocks about 2 inches wide and 3 inches long. In a bowl, toss the squash with the miso glaze. Arrange the squash on the rack and roast until tender and browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 2

Pat the skin side of the fish dry and season both sides with kosher salt. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the fish, skin side down, in the skillet and cook, occasionally pressing it down with a spatula to prevent curling, until the skin is brown, 4 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook until just opaque in the center, about 1 minute longer.

Step 3

Spoon about ¼ cup of the tamarind sauce on the bottom of four serving plates and run the back of a spoon through it to make a long stripe of sauce. Place the fish on top of the sauce. Divide the squash among the plates, shingling the slices next to the fish. Spoon some of the pumpkin seeds and their oil over the squash. Sprinkle the fish with the mint and flaky salt and serve.

Step 4

The Takeaway When tossed with butternut squash and roasted, the miso glaze becomes a slightly sticky, sweet-and-salty coating that will make you happy eating the squash forever. Luckily, the glaze can be used on all kinds of oven-bound ingredients, including fish, chicken, and beef, but I especially like what it brings to vegetables.