Escabeche
A preserving method older than refrigeration; according to the most widely cited theory it reached Spain with Arab cooking, and its name comes from the Arabic sikbaj — meat stewed in vinegar. The principle is simple: first the fish is fried, then it is covered in a warm vinegar marinade. The fish must be fried golden and well drained, since only then does it hold its shape in the vinegar for several days. And the marinade should be warm, not boiling: boiling would overcook the fish, while warm marinade penetrates faster than cold.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Frying 25 min
- Marinade 30 min
- Layering 10 min
- Maturing 1440 min
Step by step
0 / 7 doneDry the fish and dust with flour
Pat the steaks dry, salt them and dust with flour, shaking off the excess. The flour gives a thin golden crust that stops the fish sticking to the pan and helps it hold its shape in the vinegar.
Ingredients: 1000 g fresh mackerel · 60 g plain flour · 200 ml olive oil · 2 tsp salt
Fry the fish golden and drain
Fry the fish in hot olive oil in batches, 3 minutes a side (about 20 minutes in all), until golden, firm and cooked through, and drain on a rack. On a rack, not paper — on paper the underside steams and the crust softens immediately.
Ingredients: 1000 g fresh mackerel · 60 g plain flour · 200 ml olive oil · 2 tsp salt
Golden and firm, drained on a rack.Soften the vegetables in the same oil
Pour half the oil into a small bowl and set aside (you will need it at the end), and in the rest cook the onion, carrot and garlic 10 minutes, without browning. The vegetables should soften but stay firm — overcooked, they fall apart in the marinade.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 2 pcs carrots · 6 cloves garlic · 250 ml wine vinegar · 150 ml white wine · 100 ml water · 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón) · 4 pcs bay leaves · 4 pcs thyme · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp sugar
Vegetables soft but firm — never collapsed.Add the paprika off the heat
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the smoked paprika, then put the pan back on the heat. Paprika scorches within seconds in hot fat and gives bitterness instead of smoky sweetness — irreversibly.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 2 pcs carrots · 6 cloves garlic · 250 ml wine vinegar · 150 ml white wine · 100 ml water · 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón) · 4 pcs bay leaves · 4 pcs thyme · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp sugar
Boil the marinade and cool it to warm
Add the vinegar, wine and water with the bay, thyme, pepper and sugar and simmer 10 minutes. Then let the marinade cool to warm, about 10 minutes — boiling would overcook the fish and break down its structure.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 2 pcs carrots · 6 cloves garlic · 250 ml wine vinegar · 150 ml white wine · 100 ml water · 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón) · 4 pcs bay leaves · 4 pcs thyme · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp sugar
Layer and cover with marinade
Arrange the fish in a dish in layers with the vegetables between them and pour over the warm marinade so everything is submerged. Pieces sticking out above the marinade dry out and turn grey — if there is not enough marinade, top up with the oil you set aside.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 2 pcs carrots · 6 cloves garlic · 250 ml wine vinegar · 150 ml white wine · 100 ml water · 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón) · 4 pcs bay leaves · 4 pcs thyme · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp sugar
Layered, everything under the marinade.Leave a day before eating
Cool and refrigerate 24 hours. Eaten immediately, escabeche tastes of fried fish doused in vinegar; only after a day do the vinegar, paprika and herbs penetrate the flesh and the dish comes into its own. Take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving and serve at room temperature.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 2 pcs carrots · 6 cloves garlic · 250 ml wine vinegar · 150 ml white wine · 100 ml water · 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón) · 4 pcs bay leaves · 4 pcs thyme · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp sugar
Before you start
Not only fish
Escabeche is also made with chicken, quail, rabbit and vegetables — aubergine, courgette, peppers. The technique is always the same: fry, soften vegetables, cover with warm marinade; fry or braise poultry and rabbit until fully cooked through. Vegetable escabeche is ready sooner, after a few hours.
The vinegar decides everything
White wine or sherry vinegar gives the best result. Spirit vinegar is too aggressive and overwhelms the fish, and balsamic is too sweet and dark. The ratio of vinegar to wine is a matter of taste — more wine gives a gentler marinade.
A week in the fridge
Escabeche keeps up to a week in the fridge, always covered by the marinade; it is at its best between the first and third day. Traditionally the method made it possible to carry fish inland before refrigeration existed.