Some families during the Lenten season enjoy a fish meal on Fridays.

Whether they make haddock, trout, salmon, crabcakes, tuna or shellfish, families sit down to a meal from the sea.

Recently, I made arctic char for dinner. Arctic char fillets are salmon-like in appearance and are very easy to prepare.

Arctic char can be served with a butter sauce, with Cajun seasoning or simply poached in a paupiette with lemon, dill and white wine.

Alongside your favorite starch such as rice pilaf or smashed potatoes, arctic char is a fantastic, no-fuss, “plate looks like you went out to dinner” evening fish meal.

Topped with some microgreens in a light oil and lemon juice vinaigrette and served alongside a starch and a house-favorite vegetable such as zucchini, broccoli or asparagus, arctic char is a wonderfully flavorful fish plating.

Fresh Arctic Char and smashed potatoes

Four 4-6 ounce fresh arctic char fillets

1 teaspoon of fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound of small round potatoes, any type

Four portions of your favorite green vegetable such as green beans, asparagus, broccoli or zucchini, cleaned and cut to your liking

2 tablespoons of shallots, finely minced

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and cold

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

¼ cup of semi-dry white table wine

Fresh parsley and lemon slices

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, with a sheet pan in the oven. Boil potatoes until cooked through. Use the back of a spatula to smash potatoes. Now, drizzle your potatoes with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Place your potatoes on the preheated sheet pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Add vegetables to the sheet pan with the potatoes and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, depending on the vegetables used. Some vegetables may take longer to get to al dente, such as green beans.

While vegetables and potatoes are cooking, season the arctic char fillets with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh chopped thyme. Place the fillets skin-side down on top of your potatoes and vegetables.

Bake the char fillets, potatoes and vegetables for approximately 7 minutes or until the fish is done to your liking. You will be able to tell that your fish is cooked when you place a skewer through the middle of the fillet. If the skewer feels warm to the touch after removing it from the fillet, then your fish is cooked. You may also use a food thermometer to check the temperature (done is 145 degrees).

While fish, potatoes and vegetables are in the final cooking phase, prepare the sauce.

In a small saute pan, add shallots, lemon juice and wine. Bring to a gentle boil and then reduce to a simmer until you have about two tablespoons of liquid left in the pan. At this point, turn the heat off and add butter a little at a time. If the butter is not melting quickly, turn the heat on a little to facilitate this step.

Plate your fish dinner as you would like, either by using a large platter and placing the vegetables and potatoes underneath the fillets. Drizzle or spoon the sauce on top of each fillet and garnish with parsley or lemon slices.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. She is a former prep and line cook for Executive Chef David Crespo at “Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine” in the new Downtown Allentown Market. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.