Fried in a hot skillet, this easier spiced escovitch fish recipe is made with red snapper filets but is flexible. The snapper (or kingfish or mullet fish) is fried until tender and crispy then it is soaked in my homemade escovitch sauce, a spicy pickled sauce made with pan-fried onion, carrots, allspice, and scotch bonnet peppers. Serve with bammy or festival dumplings.
THIS RECIPE IS SPONSORED BY
The Best Jamaican Escovitch Fish I Ever Had
I got my first plate of escovitch from friend Stef’s mom, a spicy Jamaican lady who knew how to throw down. I haven’t had a better version yet but I’ve attempted and I’m pretty close. This tribute to her escovitch snapper recipe is a delicious blend of peppery, tart pickling, and slightly sweet flavors. Much like the popular ackee and saltfish, you serve escovitch fish with bammy (traditional cassava bread) or dumplings.
What I love about this variation of the authentic Jamaican recipe is how easy it is to prep and cook by using fish filets. Plus, it’s one of those recipes that taste even better the next day so it’s great for meal prep and for pescetarian and/or low carb diets.
The good news is, there is no one way of making escovitch fish. So, if you aren’t tolerant to too much spice, you could mellow it down by, say, removing the scotch bonnet pepper and using only allspice or Jamaican pimento. You can also remove the seeds of the pepper to ensure there is flavor but no heat.
Key Ingredients
Red Snapper: The most popular fish used for escovitch is whole red snapper but you can use any other firm white fish.
Onions & bell peppers: You’ll need both sweet bell peppers and onions for this recipe. I’m using red bell peppers in this recipe but you can use any colored or combination of colored peppers.
Carrots: Escovitch wouldn’t be the same without carrots because they bring a natural sweetness to the dish. You can use baby carrots or julienne (thinly slice) regular carrots.
Scotch bonnet peppers: These peppers are essential for Jamaican escovitch to give it its characteristic heat. If you can’t find them, you can use habanero peppers or jalapeño peppers. If you aren’t a fan of spice you can exclude the peppers or their fiery seeds.
Vinegar: White vinegar is widely used but you can use any light-colored vinegar, apple cider vinegar, cane vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
Pimiento peppers: Pimiento peppers, also known as whole allspice berries, are a key ingredient in escovitch sauce and have a flavor that’s a cross between cinnamon and pepper.
Thyme: This fragrant herb is very common in Jamaican cuisine. You can use fresh or dried thyme for this recipe.
TIP: While traditionally made with whole fish I prefer using fish filets to make this a quick and convenient weeknight meal. But instead of getting precut filets, ask your fishmonger to clean and cut “whole fish filets”. They are the full-length of whole fish (excluding the head) and are a lot easier to cook and submerge in the pickling sauce.
How To Make Escovitch Fish
You can make escovitch fish in 45 minutes and serve immediately but for best results aka a life-changing bite, allow the fish to sit in the escovitch sauce overnight to soak up all the flavors.
How To Prepare Fried Fish
- Rub cleaned and dried fish down with lime, then pat fish filets dry. Liberally season both sides of fish.
- Heat oil in heavy bottom skillet. Once hot, lightly dust fish in flour and add to the skillet skin side down. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
How To Make Escovitch Fish Sauce
- In a separate skillet over medium-high heat, add all the vegetables and sweat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer cook until vegetables become tender. Remove from heat and let the sauce marinate for 5 additional minutes.
- Pour sauce over the fish and serve warm. Alternatively, you can (SHOULD) let the fish soak in the sauce overnight. Then reheat and serve the next day.
What Is Escovitch?
The word escovitch has derived from the Spanish word escabeche. This style of cooking, popular in Latin America and the Mediterranean was brought to Jamaica by the Spaniards in the 1500s.
The Jamaican variation incorporates an almost identical method of preparation wherein the meat, typically fish, is first fried, then soaked and doused generously in a pickling sauce. A slew of herbs and spices are used to season the dish. The escovitch sauce recipe generally uses pimento, vinegar, pepper, onions, and sometimes carrots.
Fun Fact: In the Caribbean, escovitch fish isn’t just served for dinner. It is also a major staple for holiday spreads and is commonly served for breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What To Eat With Escovitch Fish?
There are no hardline rules for what to eat with escovitch fish. In classic Jamaican style, the delicious escovitch fish is savored with bammy, traditional cassava flatbread, or fried dumplings. However, you can also pair it with rice and peas, cabbage, hard dough bread, or boiled/fried plantains.
You can find some additional traditional Jamaica-inspired recipe ideas for pairing with escovitch fish.
What’s The Best Type Of Fish To Use In Escovitch Fish?
I personally prefer escovitch snapper for this recipe but other commonly used fish include kingfish, mullet, and even porgy. If you like your filets boneless, go with boneless snapper. The process does not change, no matter which fish you use.
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Substitute
Depending on where you live scotch bonnet peppers can be hard to find. Search your local Latin store and if you still can’t find them, substitute them for habanero peppers or jalapeño peppers.
How Do You Store Escovitch Fish Leftovers?
Put the escovitch fish in a shallow container and put a tight lid on it before placing it in the refrigerator. This will keep the dish fresh for up to five days.
Cooking Tips
- Clean and trim your fish even if your fishmonger already scaled it. Biting into scales can ruin the whole experience so pass your knife over the fish to ensure they are all gone.
- Cut slits into the fish to prevent it from curling while frying.
- If using whole fish, fry for a few minutes longer to cook through.
- Use gloves when working with scotch bonnet peppers and be sure to wash your hands throroughly after working with them.
- To enhance flavor you can add some scotch bonnet pepper and pimento to the frying oil to start to infuse flavor while the fish fries.
- If spicy food isn’t your jam, remove the seeds from the pepper to reduce the heat or exclude the peppers all together.
- Escovitch fish is best served the next day after the fish soaks up all the flavor of the sauce so plan a day ahead.
More Afro-Caribbean Recipes
- Creole Okra & Tomatoes with Beef Sausage by Eric & Shanna Jones
- Jerk Soul Bowl
- Sombi – Brown Butter Coconut Rice Pudding Brulee + Black History Month Virtual Potluck
- Jerk Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Fried Jamaican Escovitch Fish
Equipment
- Paper Towel
- Bowl Set
- Cast Iron Skillet – 12 inch
- Casserole Dish
- Medium Skillet
- Chef’s Knife
- Citrus Juicer
Ingredients
Fish:
- 2 (1.25 lb) snapper filets, cleaned
- 1 lime, halved
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons allspice, ground
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- olive oil
Escovitch Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced ¼ – ½ inch thick
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced ¼ – ½ inch thick
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 sprigs thyme, stems removed
- 1 teaspoon allspice, whole
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, chopped (opitional)
Instructions
To prepare fish:
- Rub fish with lime, then pat fish filets dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl mix together salt, black pepper, allspice, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder. Liberally season both sides of fish.
- Using a heavy bottom skillet like cast-iron or heavy non-stick, turn heat on to medium-high. Fill with oil to approximately ⅓ of the height of your filets and heat oil until it reaches 350 degrees.
- Once hot, lightly dust fish in flour and add to the skillet skin side down to fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Fish is done once it turns opaque. Add fish to a casserole dish and set aside.
To prepare Escovitch Sauce:
- In a separate skillet over medium-high heat, add onions, carrots, bell peppers, and garlic, and allow the vegetables to sweat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, whole allspice, white wine vinegar, water, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook vegetables until they become tender – approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the sauce marinate for 5 additional minutes.
- Pour sauce over the fish and serve warm. Alternatively, you can let the fish soak in the sauce overnight. Then reheat and serve the next day.
Video
Notes
- Clean and trim your fish even if your fishmonger already scaled it. Biting into scales can ruin the whole experience so pass your knife over the fish to ensure they are all gone.
- Cut a few shallow incisions into the fish to prevent it from curling while frying.
- If using whole fish, fry for a few minutes longer to cook through.
- Use gloves when working with scotch bonnet peppers and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after working with them.
- To enhance flavor you can add some scotch bonnet pepper and pimento to the frying oil to start to infuse flavor while the fish fries.
- If spicy food isn’t your jam, remove the seeds from the pepper to reduce the heat or exclude the peppers all together.
- Escovitch fish is best served the next day after the fish soaks up all the flavor of the sauce so plan a day ahead.
