Cuban Red Snapper Escabeche Food

ESCABECHE (SWEET AND SOUR FISH)

Steps:

• Clean the fish and slit it open. Let it stand for few minutes and drain well.
• Sprinkle fish with 1 tbsp salt.
• In a medium skillet, heat the oil and fry the fish until brown. Remove the fish from the pan and set aside.
• In the same skillet, sauté the garlic until light brown, then sauté onion.
• Add salt and white pepper. Stir in ginger, scallions, carrot and red bell pepper.
• Add soy sauce, vinegar, water and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.
• When the mixture boils, add flour to thicken. Then, add the fish.
• Cover the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.

SNAPPER ESCABèCHE WITH CHARRED SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Prepare grill for medium-high heat; oil grate. Combine onion, vinegar, and 6 tablespoons oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Set marinade aside.
• Rub snapper all over with 1 tablespoon oil total; season with salt and pepper. Grill, skin side down, until lightly charred and almost cooked through, 4-6 minutes (skin should release easily; if it sticks, grill another minute or two). Turn; grill until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Place skin side up in a baking dish.
• Pour reserved marinade over hot snapper and let sit at least 10 minutes (the longer it sits, the more intensely flavored it will be).
• Meanwhile, toss scallions on a baking sheet with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning often, until lightly charred and wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Let cool; coarsely chop.
• To serve, spoon marinade over snapper and top with scallions and parsley.
• Do Ahead
• Snapper can be marinated 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

RED SNAPPER ESCABECHE

Steps:

• Season both sides of fillets with salt and pepper, and cut in half lengthwise. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add half the fish in one uncrowded layer. Cook for 2 1/2 minutes on each side, or until fish is crisp and brown around the edges but not cooked through. Transfer to a plate to cool. Heat another tablespoon oil, and repeat with remaining fillets.
• Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan, and cook garlic over medium heat until it just begins to color. Add shallots and bay leaves, and cook until shallots are transparent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add peppers, and cook until slightly limp, 5 to 6 minutes more.
• Add vinegar and wine, and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat, and simmer for a minute or two. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, peppercorns, cloves, and salt, and remove from heat.
• Place one layer of fish in the bottom of a large bowl, and spoon some of the marinade, shallots and peppers over it. Repeat until all are used up. Cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the string beans until bright green, but still crunchy, about 1 minute. Transfer beans to an ice bath to cool. Drain.
• Arrange greens and herbs on serving plate, and place fish with shallots and peppers on top. Remove cloves. Arrange beans loosely around fish. Drizzle some of the marinade over greens just before serving.

SNAPPER ESCABèCHE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, pineapple juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and ketchup. Bring to a steady simmer and cook until reduced by almost half, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the scallions and bell peppers in a medium bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Grill until well marked and tender, about 2 minutes per side for the scallions and 3 minutes per side for the peppers.
• Score the skin side of the snapper fillets, making a few small slashes. Pat dry. Brush both sides of the fillets with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the fish skin-side down, covered, until it's cooked around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook through, 3 to 4 more minutes.
• Cut the scallions into 3-inch pieces and cut the peppers into 1/4-inch strips. Divide the vegetables and fish among plates. Pour some of the sauce on top and serve the rest on the side. Serve with the rice.

CUBAN RED SNAPPER ESCABECHE

Steps:

• Cut fish fillets in half, and season with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a large plate. Dredge each fillet in the flour.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of the fillets; saute until opaque and golden brown on bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over, and cook other sides until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer fish to a deep glass or ceramic dish, in a single layer, and set aside. Wipe out skillet, add 2 more tablespoons oil; cook remaining fillets.
• Wipe out skillet, add the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, and place over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, bell peppers, onions, garlic, peppercorns, chile pepper, and bay leaves. Cook 3 minutes, without browning vegetables. Add vinegar, 2 1/2 cups water, olives, and capers. Raise heat to high; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; pour mixture over fish, covering fish completely (if fish is not completely covered, add one part water to one part vinegar until covered). Let stand until cool. Cover; refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
• When ready to serve, let escabeche stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Divide the fish and vegetables among 12 plates; garnish with lime slices and cilantro, if desired.

HUACHINANGO ENCHILADO (SNAPPER FILLETS CUBAN STYLE)

Steps:

• Saute onion, garlic, and peppers in olive oil over medium heat.
• Cook 6 to 8 minutes until tender.
• Add tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, capers, olives, wine, salt, and pepper.
• Cook sauce for about 10 minutes over low to medium heat.
• Add snapper fillets and cook for about 4 minutes then flip the fillets and cook for another 4 minutes.
• Serve fillets over white rice and cover with sauce.