Escovitch fish

Ingredients

Fish

• 4whole snapper or 4 fish fillets
• juice of 2 limes
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 1 teaspoonpaprika
• plain flour, for dusting
• oil, for frying

Escovitch dressing

• 2onions, thinly sliced
• 2carrots, cut in thin strips
• 1red pepper, in thin strips
• 1chayote, in strips, optional
• 1scotch bonnet, sliced
• 250 mlwhite vinegar
• or cane vinegar
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• 12whole pimento berries
• or allspice berries
• 3 sprigsthyme
• 1 teaspoonsalt

To serve

• bammy, cassava flatbread
• or festival, fried dumpling
• or hard dough bread

Directions

1. Scale and gut whole fish if not done. Rinse it thoroughly inside and out. Rub it all over with lime juice. Rinse it again and pat it dry.
2. Score the sides with three deep slashes. Those slashes help it cook through. Season it with salt, pepper and paprika. Dust the fish lightly with flour. Shake off all of the excess flour.
3. Heat oil in a wide pan to a shallow depth. It should be hot enough to sizzle at once. Lay the fish in away from yourself. Fry it for about six minutes a side. Judging the fish takes a look. Lift it onto a wire rack to drain. Set the fried fish in a deep dish. Put the vinegar into a wide pan.
4. Add the sugar, salt and pimento berries. Add the thyme sprigs to the pan. Bring the whole pan to a boil. Add the sliced onion, carrot and pepper. Add the chayote if you are using it. Add the sliced scotch bonnet too.
5. Let it boil for two minutes only. They must stay crisp and bright. Take the pan off the heat at once. Pour the hot dressing over the fried fish. Pour it over while both are hot.
6. Make sure the vegetables cover the fish. Spoon the liquid over as well. Let it sit for at least thirty minutes. An hour is considerably better.
7. Lift the fish out onto a plate. Pile the pickled vegetables over it. Spoon some of the liquid over. Serve bammy alongside the fish. It keeps four days refrigerated.

Technique

• The method descends from escabeche, a Spanish and Portuguese technique of preserving fried food under vinegar, itself reaching Iberia from the Arab world, and Sephardic settlers brought it to Jamaica.
• Pimento is the Jamaican name for allspice, the dried berry of a single tree native to the island, and is not a blend despite what the English name suggests.
• The vegetables are boiled for two minutes only, since their crunch against the fried fish is the whole point and soft collapsed vegetables are wrong.

Substitutions

• Any firm fish works, and red snapper is the classic Jamaican choice.
• Cane vinegar or white vinegar both work for the dressing.

Variations

• Some cooks add chayote, called cho cho in Jamaica, to the vegetables.
• A version made with fillets rather than whole fish is common.
• Escabeche and ceviche escabechado are the related dishes elsewhere.

History

Fried fish under vinegar, onion and pepper; the method descends from Spanish and Portuguese escabeche brought by Sephardic settlers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Escovitch fish?

Escovitch fish is a main from Jamaica: fried fish topped with spicy pickled vegetables. Fried fish under vinegar, onion and pepper; the method descends from Spanish and Portuguese escabeche brought by Sephardic settlers.

How long does Escovitch fish take to make?

Escovitch fish takes 30 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Escovitch fish?

Yes, within limits. Any firm fish works, and red snapper is the classic Jamaican choice. Cane vinegar or white vinegar both work for the dressing.

What is the most important thing to get right in Escovitch fish?

Add the sugar, salt and pimento berries. Add the thyme sprigs to the pan. Bring the whole pan to a boil. Add the sliced onion, carrot and pepper. Add the chayote if you are using it. Add the sliced scotch bonnet too.