Escovitch Fish

CAUTION: This dish is not for the faint of heart. This dish contains bold flavors and a spicy right hook that will leave you dazed and confused.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself but I am serious about this dish being spicy. If you cannot withstand the heat of spicy foods, then I recommend that you do not attempt to make or eat this dish. For those of us who love food with a kick, this dish is for you. Here is the official start of seafood week. Enjoy!!!




Ingredients:

• 5 whole or medium Red Snappers, Grunt, Parrot or Goat fish cleaned, with head and tail still on
• 1 1/2 tsps. salt
• 1 1/2 tsps. black pepper
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• cooking oil
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers
• 1 medium onion
• half of both a green and red pepper (optional)
• 10 pimento seeds

Preparation:

1. Wash fish in vinegar or lemon and water. (Not the same amount ingredient calls for)
2. Pat dry fish with paper towel and place on a plate.
3. Cut a small, deep incision on both sides of the fish.
4. Rub salt and pepper on the outside, in the incision, and inside of the fish.
5. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium-high and brown on both sides. (Do not fill entire pan with oil. This is not a deep fry dish, so fish should not be completely submerged.)
6. Remove fish and put garlic in the same oil on high heat stirring constantly until brown. (Watch carefully because garlic burns easily.)
7. Remove garlic from pan and put all the fishes back in. (Depending on the size of the pan.)
8. Fry fish to a crisp and completely brown on both sides. Turn down the heat if the fish tends to fry too quickly.
9. Place fish on dry paper towel to drain excess oil.
10. Slice onion, peppers and scotch bonnet pepper. (Take seeds of scotch bonnet or use one depending on how spicy you like it.)
11. Place onion, all the peppers and pimento, and put into a small pot with the vinegar on medium-high.
12. Boil contents for 5 minutes. (Be careful not to over boil because it can burn your eyes)
13. Pour contents on fish for a hot and spicy flavor. (Do not drown fish with the liquid or it become soggy.)
14. Serve hot with rice and peas or eat alone.

P.S. To alleviate the smell of frying fish in your house, you can boil a cinnamon stick in water to kill the smell.