Escovitch Fish

The story

Escovitch Fish is a Jamaican main with a clear sense of place. Escovitch reflects the Spanish escabeche tradition adapted in Jamaica with local Scotch bonnet, allspice and frying methods. Whole fried fish with pickled vegetables is especially associated with coastal eating. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 4 piece whole red snapper or sea bream450–550 g each, scaled and gutted
• 40 ml lime juice
• 12 g Garliccrushed
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 90 g plain flour
• 1500 ml neutral frying oil
• 250 ml white vinegar
• 180 g red onionsliced
• 140 g carrotjulienned
• 120 g red peppersliced
• 1 piece Scotch bonnet chillisliced
• 10 piece allspice berries
• 3 piece fresh thymesprigs
• 15 g caster sugar

Method

1. Score the fish, season with lime, garlic,

   Score the fish, season with lime, garlic, salt and pepper and rest 15 minutes. Pat thoroughly dry, then dust lightly with flour, shaking off excess.

   Tip: Spoon vegetables over the fish and add liquor sparingly, leaving some crisp skin exposed. Avoid: Wet fish spits and softens; long-cooked vegetables lose crunch; pouring too much vinegar over fish immediately destroys the crust.

2. Heat frying oil to 175°C and fry

   Heat frying oil to 175°C and fry the fish one or two at a time until the skin is crisp and flesh cooked at the bone, usually 7–9 minutes depending on size. Drain upright.

   Look for: the skin is crisp and flesh cooked at the bone, usually 7–9 minutes depending on size

3. For the escovitch, bring vinegar, allspice, thyme,

   For the escovitch, bring vinegar, allspice, thyme, sugar and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add onion, carrot, pepper and Scotch bonnet and simmer only 2 minutes.

4. Remove the vegetables from the heat while

   Remove the vegetables from the heat while still crisp. Taste the liquor: it should be sharply acidic, lightly sweet and aromatic with allspice.

5. Place fried fish on a platter

   Place fried fish on a platter. Spoon the hot escovitch vegetables and a controlled amount of vinegar liquor over them just before serving.

6. Serve immediately with bammy or festival so

   Serve immediately with bammy or festival so the fish skin retains as much crispness as possible beneath the pickles.

   Look for: Fish flakes opaque from the bone and vegetables are bright, tender-crisp and strongly pickled.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.