Fish & Seafood
Kwames Escovitch Snapper
Description
In Jamaica, escovitch fish — fish that's fried and then topped with pickled, thinly sliced vegetables — is everywhere. In Onwuachi's version, a garlicky marinade forms a crust as the fish cooks, adding flavor and keeping the snapper moist and tender, and a pickled tangle of thinly sliced chiles, carrot, and onion—makes a punchy, crunchy topping for crispy fried whole snapper.
Ingredients
- Pickled Vegetables
- 2 medium-size yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, cut into thin strips
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 fresh Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, unseeded, and thinly sliced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fish
- 1 cup canola oil, plus more for frying
- 20 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
- 2 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) whole red snapper, scaled and gutted
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Directions
- Make the Pickled Vegetables
- Combine onions, carrots, vinegar, garlic, ginger, chile, lime juice, allspice, and salt in a large bowl; toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours.
- Make the Fish
- Combine oil, garlic, seasoned salt, thyme, and ginger in a blender; process until a smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes. Using a sharp knife, score fish skin in a crosshatch pattern. Rub oil mixture evenly on skin and in cavities of fish. Place fish on a large baking sheet; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours.
- Fill a large Dutch oven (wide enough to fit 1 whole snapper horizontally) with oil to a depth of 4 inches. Heat over medium-high until oil reaches 350°F. Sprinkle fish evenly with kosher salt. Fry fish, 1 at a time, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, carefully turning halfway through cook time. Remove from pot, and transfer to a serving platter. Top with pickled vegetables.
