Fish in Escabeche • Escabeche de Pescado
When a dish
is an escabeche it means that it is pickled. It is one of the oldest of
Spanish recipes and is also very common in all of Latin America. A
historical description of a banquet in the earliest days of the Spanish
Conquest includes in the menu many versions of escabeches since it is used
to prepare chicken, same and vegetables. Probably its principal purpose was
to preserve the food before the existence of refrigeration.
Fish
prepared in this fashion can be served as a main course or an appetizer. It
can be kept in the refrigerator to serve to unexpected guests. It would be a
useful and original addition to your repertoire. The recipe given is (or a
large amount of fish. because since it keeps in the refrigerator for at
least 2 weeks, it is worth making in large batches. The amounts can be
halved or even quartered without prejudice to the results.
Servings:
Ingredients:
4 pounds
of kingfish steaks
3 medium
sized onions
Salt
2
teaspoons paprika
4 cups
olive oil (not extra-virgin)
1 bay
leaf
2 green
peppers, or green and red peppers, roasted, peeled and cut in strips
4 cups
Spanish Sherry vinegar
½ cup
pimento stuffed olives
Directions
• Peel the
green peppers. To peel peppers: slice in halves and remove the seeds and
membranes. Place under the oven broiler at high temperature until the skins
of the peppers are charred. Put the charred peppers in a paper bag and close
the bag securely, leave for about 15 minutes to steam. Peel the peppers and
cut in strips.
• Rinse the
fish and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt. Heat the oil to a medium temperature
and sauté the fish until golden. Remove to a plate, allow the oil to cool
and pour through a sieve to remove any leftover bits.
• In the
same oil used for frying the fish, sauté the onion rings and the green
pepper at low heat until limp and transparent. Remove to a separate plate.
• Keeping
the heat still low, add the paprika, the bay leaf and the vinegar. Bring to
a simmer and heat all together for 5 minutes. Allow to cool
completely and add the onion rings, pepper strips and the olives.
• Use one
or more large jars with large mouths to conserve the escabeche. Wash well
and rinse with boiling water.
• Place the
fish and the onions, peppers, olives, oil and vinegar sauce in alternating
layers in the jars. Cover tightly and leave outside of the refrigerator for
a few days. Place in the refrigerator. It will keep in the refrigerator 2
weeks.
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