Escovitch Fish

Ingredients

• 4 whole small snapper or snapper steaks, scaled, gutted, scored through to the bone on each side
• 1 litre neutral oil, for deep-frying
• For the pickle
• 250 ml white vinegar
• 2 scotch bonnet chillies, left whole or halved; do not slice unless more heat is required
• 2 medium onions, sliced into rings
• 2 medium carrots, cut into thin batons or rounds
• 1 tsp allspice berries, whole, not ground
• 5 g salt
• To serve
• 4 bammy or festival, fried cassava flatbread or fried dough, prepared separately

Method

1. 1
   Season the fish all over and inside any score cuts with salt. Allow to rest uncovered for 15 minutes so the surface dries slightly. The skin must be visibly dry to the touch before it enters the oil — moisture on the surface will cause the skin to steam rather than fry, and softness in the skin before pickling becomes sogginess after.
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to frying temperature. Lower the fish in carefully and do not move them. Fry until the skin is deeply golden and pulls away from the pan without resistance, and the flesh at the score marks shows fully opaque white. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: the fish must reach complete crispness before the pickle is applied — any residual softness will become irrecoverable sogginess once the acid is added. Remove and drain on a rack, not paper, to preserve the crust.
3. 3
   While the fish fries, heat a small amount of the frying oil in a separate pan. Add the onion rings and carrot batons and cook over high heat for 2 minutes, moving them frequently. They should be lightly touched by colour at the edges but retain their structure — a faint caramel note detectable by smell indicates the sugars have begun to round.
4. 4
   Pour the white vinegar into a small saucepan. Add the allspice berries, scotch bonnet, salt, and the briefly fried onion and carrot. Bring to a full boil over high heat. The pickle must be actively steaming and hot when applied — a sharp, allspice-laden vapour should rise clearly from the pan.
5. 5
   Arrange the freshly fried fish in a single layer in a non-reactive dish. Pour the boiling pickle — vegetables, scotch bonnet, allspice berries and all liquid — directly and immediately over the hot fish. The liquid should sizzle audibly on contact with the hot crust. Cold pickle on hot fish does not penetrate the flesh; the application must happen while both are at maximum temperature.
6. 6
   Leave the dish uncovered at room temperature for a minimum of one hour before serving. The pickle must penetrate and the flavours must integrate: after one hour, press a finger lightly to the flesh at a score mark — the fish should give slightly, the acid having continued its denaturation through the flesh. The resting period is the dish; escovitch served immediately is incomplete.