Get to know our farm-raised, Icelandic arctic char

Have you ever tried arctic char? It’s a delicately flaky pink fish with a beautiful, nutty flavor. Char is often used as an alternative to salmon or steelhead trout – different species but very similar in texture and flavor. 

Matorka Farms

The farm-raised arctic char we supply is raised at Matorka, which is an environmentally-responsible, land-based farm in Iceland. This farm poses no risk to wild fisheries or natural ecosystems, runs on geothermal energy and uses water from bore holes (which is water that cannot be used as a fresh-water source). It’s truly one of the most, if not the most, pristinely managed fish farms in the world.

 The “fish in fish out” ratio (FIFO), or Fish Dependency Ratio, at Matorka is considered a 0 to 1 (zero lbs of wild fish in to 1 lbs of farmed fish out) by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Aquaculture Stewardship Council standard for FIFO calculations.

Furthermore, Matorka uses fish meal and fish oil from by-products of MSC-certified fisheries in Iceland. Meaning, Matorka is not using whole wild fish to produce fish meal and fish oil for their feed, which is a more sustainable solution. Matorka’s approach to feed is one of the most nutritious and sustainable fish meal and fish oil source for the fish, and also the most nutritious for us. There’s no need for artificial or synthetic colorants in Matorka’s feed. Matorka does not use antibiotics in its fish feed, the feed is non GMO and it’s free of land animal proteins and fats.

Did you know the color in fish and shrimp is thought to be one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature, and actually may increase the bioavailability of DHA and EPA (omega-3 fatty acids we must derive from our diets)? 

Here’s the feed ingredient list:
Fishmeal and oil made from fresh material throw offs (byproducts), rapeseed oil, rapeseed meal, shrimp meal, soy meal, soy protein, wheat, panaferd pigment vitamins & minerals

You can now purchase our farm-raised arctic char without leaving the comfort of your home via our partner, Crowd Cow! Thinking of cooking with char but don’t know where to start? Definitely try the Honey-Glazed Arctic Char Taco or Soy & Miso Marinated Arctic Char. These simple, unique recipes are great to make when getting home from a busy day.