Conference turris::cooks

3635.0. "Pescado en Escabeche" by TAVIS::JUAN (Juan-Carlos Kiel @ISO) Sun Sep 20 1992 06:13

    The last weekend Elena, my wife, made "pescado en escabeche". I have been
    asking for this quite some time. Her recipe comes from the restaurant
    "La Emiliana" of Buenos Aires, where we used to have it.
 
    Recipes for "escabeches" go back for a couple hundred years (documented)
    and surely, much longer. They were one of the ways to keep food for long
    periods of time, before refrigerators were invented.

    The ingredients are supposed to fight the reproduction of microbes:
    Vinegar lowers PH and makes the environment hostile for "bugs", oil fights
    oxidation, garlick, peppers, etc., are attributed antiseptic properties.

    Traditionally, escabeches include several meats, besides fish: rabitt, 
    partridge, game meat, etc. I like fish escabeche best.

    The proportions I give are approximate and make reasonable servings; 
    however, at home I'd have lots of escabeche on top of the fish, perhaps
    twice the amounts given here.
 
    Today, we may not "need" escabeches, but they are so delicious they are
    a need for me!


	Ingredients:

	1 Kg (2 lbs) merluza fillets (or any white, firm fish fillets), cut
          in pieces 5cm X 7cm (2" x 3").
	2 eggs, beatten
	salt and pepper to taste
	flour
	oil for frying fillets.


	Escabeche sauce:

	1 onion (large) in Julienne stripes (about 6-7mm [1/4"] wide)
	3 carrots in Julienne (6 mm wide, 3mm thick)
	2-3 cloves of garlick, peeled and sliced. 
	1 cup oil
	1 cup vinegar
	1/2 cup dry white wine
	2 TSP black peppercorns
	2-3 bay leaves
	2-3 cloves
	salt


	Preparation:

    1.	Condiment flour with salt and pepper, dip fillet-pieces in the beatten
 	eggs, dip in flour and fry in hot oil, until golden. Set aside.

    2.	Put in frying pan some oil. Heat oil. Saute lightly onions, carrots and
	garlick ~7 to 10 min., stop before the onion begins to get golden 
	colour. Add bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, salt. Saute for 2-3 more 
	min. 

    3.	Add the remaining oil, vinegar, white wine and simmer for some 20 min.
	Let cool. The onions and carrots shall be soft but not "puree". Taste.
 	The escabeche should be on the acid side, from the vinegar, but not to
	strong. If not acid enough, add vinegar.

    4.	Take a Pyrex Serving pan, 30cmW X 45cmD X 5cmH (12"W x 18"D x 2"H), put
	one layer of fish covering the botton of pan, cover with escabeche. 
	Repeat, while there are remaining fish pieces and escabeche. The upper-
	most layer should be a generous one of escabeche. Put in refrigerator 
	for 8 hours min. The escabeche will reach its best after the 2nd day.

	Serve cold.

	Fish in escabeche can be kept in the refrigerator for a week - and it
	should be kept in the lower drawer of the refrigerator, behind a large
 	pumpkin or watermelon - if not, it can be found and it will not 
	survive until dinner!!!

	Enjoy,

	Juan-Carlos