Sierra en Escabeche de Alvarado

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch stainless steel or enameled skillet
• •Fish spatula or wide slotted spatula
• •Shallow glass or lead-free glazed ceramic dish for marinating
• •Deep lead-free glazed Coatepec barro or Veracruz talavera cazuela for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the fish

   Pat the sierra dry and season both sides with the salt. Set it on a rack for 20 minutes while you slice the vegetables. This short salting firms the flesh and seasons the thick mackerel properly. Do not soak it in lime. This is escabeche, not ceviche.

2. 2

   Dust and heat

   Spread the flour on a plate. Dredge each piece of fish lightly and shake off the excess. You should still see the silver skin through the flour. Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a wide stainless steel or enameled skillet over medium-high heat until a pinch of flour sizzles immediately.

3. 3

   Fry the sierra

   Fry the fish in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the outside is golden and the flesh is firm around the center bone. Do not crowd the pan or the fish will sweat instead of fry. Transfer the pieces to a shallow glass or lead-free glazed ceramic dish large enough to hold them in one layer.

   Sierra is an oily fish and that is why it works here. It can take vinegar without falling apart. A thin white fillet will not behave the same way.
4. 4

   Cook the vegetables

   Pour off the oil, leaving about 1/3 cup in the skillet. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and slit jalapeños. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns glossy at the edges and the carrots still have a little snap. Escabeche vegetables should not collapse.

5. 5

   Build the escabeche

   Add the bay leaves, Mexican oregano, thyme, marjoram, black peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Stir for 30 seconds so the oil carries the herbs. Add the cane vinegar, water, piloncillo, and a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 6 minutes. The smell should be sharp, herbal, and rounded by the sweet spice. If it tastes flat, it needs salt.

6. 6

   Add olives and capers

   Stir in the olives and capers and simmer for 1 minute more. Taste a spoonful of the liquid. It should be too assertive to eat on its own. The fish will pull it down overnight. Weak escabeche gives you weak fish, and nobody in Alvarado asked for that.

7. 7

   Bathe the fish

   Pour the hot escabeche over the fried sierra. Tuck onions, carrots, chiles, olives, and herbs between the pieces. The liquid should come at least halfway up the fish; spoon it over any exposed surfaces. Cool uncovered for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, preferably 24. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

   Use glass, stainless steel, or lead-free glazed ceramic for the vinegar. Do not use aluminum, and do not use raw clay. Vinegar bites what it touches.
8. 8

   Serve the next day

   Take the escabeche out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Spoon the vegetables and vinegar-oil sauce over the fish and serve it family-style in glazed barro from Coatepec or Veracruz talavera. Put warm corn tortillas or arroz blanco on the table, and salsa bruja if your table knows Veracruz. Keep leftovers chilled.

Chef Tips

• •Buy sierra in steaks, not paper-thin fillets. The skin and center bone help the fish hold together after frying and marinating. Ask the fish vendor to cut it 1 inch thick. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Vinagre de caña is the Veracruz choice. If you cannot find it, use plain white vinegar with the piloncillo in the recipe. That is a compromise, not an upgrade. Apple cider vinegar pulls this toward another kitchen.
• •Use chile jalapeño or chile cuaresmeño, green and firm. Do not replace it with bell pepper. The chile gives perfume, not just heat, and this dish is not supposed to punish your mouth.
• •This escabeche is a refrigerator preserve, not canned fish. Keep it cold, use clean utensils, and eat it within 3 days. Fish canning is pressure-canning work, not a place for improvisation.
• •Do not put this in a flour tortilla and call it Veracruz. Flour tortillas have their place in the north. This table wants corn tortillas or arroz blanco.

Advance Preparation

• •Sierra en escabeche needs at least 12 hours in the refrigerator. Twenty-four hours is better. The vinegar moves into the fish and the herbs stop tasting separate.
• •The dish keeps refrigerated for 3 days. The olive oil may firm up when cold; bring the dish to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
• •Do not freeze it. The vinegar changes the fish texture enough already, and freezing makes it chalky.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)