Easy escabeche
food_Escabeche0110.jpg
An escabeche is primarily a preparation of fish (or sometimes other seafood or meat) that has been fried and allowed to cool. It is then soused with a hot marinade, which includes vinegar, vegetables, spices and oil. The dish may then be served hot, but more often it is made ahead, marinated overnight and served cold the next day. It was an early method of preserving food such as meat, chicken, seafood and shellfish, vegetables and even pig’s feet. Recordings of this dish go back to the 14th century, when the marinade would often have contained some sugar, raisins, dates, etc, to give it a more sweet/sour taste; however, these days it is simple and light.
The Mexicans eat escabeche, as do the French, the Italians (scapece), Algerians (scabetch) and so on. Colourful in appearance and interesting to many who haven’t made or eaten this before, it is the perfect do-ahead idea for a summertime lunch the next day. Below are two quite different recipes using similar techniques. You really can’t go too far wrong with this, and it just gets better and better over the next couple of days. Enjoy both of these recipes with a crisp green salad and some sautéed or boiled potatoes. The first recipe is from Brigitte Hafner, who owns a fantastic café in Melbourne.
Soused fish with saffron and onions
450g snapper or other fish
Seasoned flour for dusting
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper
2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and finely sliced
Pinch of saffron threads
2 bay leaves
½ cup of white wine vinegar
¾ cup of water
2 teaspoons of sugar
Toasted pine nuts for serving
Coarsely chopped Italian parsley for serving
Slice the fish into similar-sized pieces and dust with flour. Pan fry in the olive oil over a medium heat until just cooked through on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and use a fish slice to remove and place into a glass or crockery serving dish.
Into the same frying pan place two tablespoons of olive oil and add the onion and carrot. Cook slowly until soft but not browned. Take your time to do this. Then add the saffron. Cook for another minute before adding the vinegar, bay leaves, water and sugar. Reduce the heat and cook for five minutes. Pour the hot liquid over the fish and leave to cool. Cover the dish with cling film and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge half an hour before serving, scatter with the pine nuts and chopped parsley. Serves four.
If you want to make this more of a meal-in-one you can serve the fish with black olives, caperberries, wedges of hard-boiled egg and toasted sourdough.
Chicken escabeche
12 chicken drumsticks
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 bay leaves
1 small dried chilli (or to taste)
4 peppercorns
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
(plus extra sprigs to garnish for serving)
3 strips of orange rind
½ cup of sherry vinegar
400ml medium dry sherry
100ml orange juice
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the chicken. You will probably have to do this in two batches. Cook over a medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or so, until they test cooked through and are a lovely golden colour. Remove from the pan, season and place in a large glass or crockery dish big enough to hold all the legs in one layer. Once all the chicken has been cooked, use the remaining oil in the pan to slowly cook the onions, carrots and cumin seeds for about three minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for eight minutes. Pour the hot liquid over the chicken and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight then remove from the fridge half an hour before serving the next day. Garnish with the reserved thyme and serve.
Fiona Feasey
