Ingredients Seafood Fish Snapper Kwame's Escovitch Snapper Be the first to rate & review! Inspired by his travels in Jamaica, 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi shared this recipe for escovitch snapper. In Jamaica, escovitch fish — fish that's fried and then topped with pickled, thinly sliced vegetables — is everywhere. In Onwuachi's version, a garlicky marinade forms a crust as the fish cooks, adding flavor and keeping the snapper moist and tender, and a pickled tangle of thinly sliced chiles, carrot, and onion—makes a punchy, crunchy topping for crispy fried whole snapper. By Kwame Onwuachi Kwame Onwuachi Instagram Chef Kwame Onwuachi is a Los Angeles-based chef who competed on Top Chef in 2015. In addition to his recognition as a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2019, the James Beard Foundation has named him as a "Rising Star Chef of the Year," and he has also been featured in Esquire magazine among other publications. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 1, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop styling by Christine Keely Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 6 Ingredients Pickled Vegetables 2 medium-size yellow onions, thinly sliced 2 large carrots, cut into thin strips 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar 5 large garlic cloves, minced 4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger 1 fresh Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, unseeded, and thinly sliced (about 1 tablespoon) 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons ground allspice 1 teaspoon kosher salt Fish 1 cup canola oil, plus more for frying 20 large garlic cloves 2 tablespoons seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s) 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger 2 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) whole red snapper, scaled and gutted 2 teaspoons kosher salt Directions Make the Pickled Vegetables Combine onions, carrots, vinegar, garlic, ginger, chile, lime juice, allspice, and salt in a large bowl; toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Make the Fish Combine oil, garlic, seasoned salt, thyme, and ginger in a blender; process until a smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes. Using a sharp knife, score fish skin in a crosshatch pattern. Rub oil mixture evenly on skin and in cavities of fish. Place fish on a large baking sheet; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 2 hours. Fill a large Dutch oven (wide enough to fit 1 whole snapper horizontally) with oil to a depth of 4 inches. Heat over medium-high until oil reaches 350°F. Sprinkle fish evenly with kosher salt. Fry fish, 1 at a time, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, carefully turning halfway through cook time. Remove from pot, and transfer to a serving platter. Top with pickled vegetables. Notes Habanero peppers can be substituted for Scotch bonnet chiles. Suggested Pairing Cold Jamaican lager. Rate it Print