Snapper Escovitch

Name: Snapper Escovitch
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed; 4 (6-ounce) skin-on snapper fillets or 2 pounds whole red snapper; 1 dry bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated; 3 small bell peppers (red, yellow, green or one of each), thinly sliced; 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced; 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks; 1 Scotch bonnet chile, pierced; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon allspice berries or pickling spice; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 3/4 cup red wine vinegar

By Millie Peartree

Updated Aug. 1, 2022

Snapper Escovitch — Dane Tashima for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4(171)
Comments: Read comments

A Caribbean favorite, this light, tender and flaky fish is made with whole snapper, but you can also use fillets for ease. This recipe has a mellow spice to let the flavor of the fish shine through, but it’s open to adaptation: Feel free to add a little more hot pepper or allspice, if you like, for more intensity. If you’re in a hurry or low on spices, you can substitute Old Bay, jerk or Cajun seasoning blends for the spice mix in Step 1. Then, turn it into a sandwich (see Tip), paired with sweet plantain fries, or eat it as a light meal on its own.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1teaspoon garlic powder
½teaspoon ground ginger
1teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste
1teaspoon black pepper
½cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
4(6-ounce) skin-on snapper fillets or 2 pounds whole red snapper
1dry bay leaf
½teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
3small bell peppers (red, yellow, green or one of each), thinly sliced
1medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1Scotch bonnet chile, pierced
1tablespoon granulated sugar
1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1teaspoon allspice berries or pickling spice
4garlic cloves, minced
¾cup red wine vinegar

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Mix together 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, garlic powder, ginger, salt and pepper. Season the fish with the mixture.
Step 2
In a large skillet over medium, heat oil until really hot but not smoking, about 3 to 5 minutes, and add the fish flesh-side down. Cook until the flesh gets a little color, about 5 minutes. Flip, then continue cooking until the skin is crisp. Remove fish and set aside on a serving platter. Drain oil, leaving about 2 to 3 tablespoons in the skillet.
Step 3
Return the skillet to the stove. Add the bay leaf and fresh ginger, and sauté over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 4
Add bell peppers, onion, carrots, Scotch bonnet chile, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, allspice and the remaining thyme leaves, and continue cooking, stirring, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 5
Add vinegar, and stir to combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes, until the vegetables soften but still retain bite, and spoon over fish. (Leave the allspice berries or pickling spice in the topping. Simply eat around them.)

Tip

You can also turn this into a sandwich. Mix together some mayonnaise, fresh chopped cilantro and lime to taste. Then spread that sauce evenly onto a soft hero bread or crusty French bread, and add the fillets. Serve with sweet plantain fries.

Ratings

4 out of 5

171 user ratings

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Comments

Gale2 years ago

score the fish skin to prevent it from curling. this was delicious!

zoz2 years ago

I'm guessing powdered allspice can be used in place of allspice berries. If I'm wrong, please enlighten me!

Bazz2 years ago

Made this as per the recipe - the flavors are wonderful but it felt like the red wine vinegar overwhelmed the sauce in the end. I would likely use a lesser amount or maybe consider white vinegar instead of red wine vinegar since it’s generally less pungent. Only other feedback is that the prep work (thinly slicing all the vegetables, grating the ginger and garlic, etc) was quite time consuming and effectively doubled the cooking time. Oh well!

kate degnan1 month ago

Agree re: using less vinegar - maybe 2/3 c. Also, I’m going to roast or grill the fish next time for ease and fewer calories. Since, it cooks separately from the veg anyway, seems like a simple change that wouldn’t change this yummy dish.

Brittany1 year ago

Such great flavors and overall easy recipe to make. Since making for the first time, we have enjoyed 3 more times in just 2 weeks! THAT good!

Rebecca1 year ago

Made this twice now. The first time we served over rice, & it was fantastic. Second time, tried in a sandwich, & it was not as great. Both times I threw in a few shakes of habanero hot sauce in lieu of a whole habanero (none at our co-op) & 1/2 tsp ground allspice. Both times I used a different type of fish than what is called for - halibut the first time, rockfish the second. Did not use as much oil as the recipe calls for because I had no skin to crisp but did use the full amount of vinegar.

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