Escabeche - Marinated Fish
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Escabeche, meaning ‘pickled’ in Spanish, is used to marinate cooked fish, seafood and chicken. Always served at room temperature, it uses either vinegar or citrus juice and aromatics such as bay leaf, spices, onions and chilli.
Serves: 4–6
INGREDIENTS
800 grams small fish fillets eg gurnard or sardines if you can get them
½ cup seasoned flour
olive oil
Marinade
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
¼ - ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
pinch of saffron
2 long strips of orange rind
1 teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup sherry or red wine vinegar
1 cup white wine
juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon sugar
To serve
rocket leaves
grilled sourdough bread
METHOD
Dust the fish in seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.
Heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan and fry the fish until golden and cooked. Place in a shallow dish, large enough to hold the fillets in one layer.
Marinade: Heat the oil in a sauté pan and cook the onion, carrot, bay leaves, garlic, paprika, chilli flakes, saffron, orange rind and salt until the onions and carrots are just tender but not coloured.
Add the vinegar, white wine, orange juice and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes then pour over the fish. Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.
To serve: Lift the fish out of the marinade and arrange on a serving platter. Top with the vegetables and spoon over the marinade. Serve with rocket on of top grilled bread.
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