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 Kwame Onwuachi is the chef of Tatiana in New York City and competed on Top Chef season 13. In 2019, he was a Food & Wine Best New Chef, the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year, and Esquire's Chef of the Year. Kwame's the author of Notes from a Young Black Chef and My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef. 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