Escabèche started out as a way of preserving meat and fish. It’s really just a cooked marinade, made of oil, vinegar (or citrus juice), aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices, that is used to souse the flesh. Red mullet is richer-tasting than most similar white fish, and is great prepared in this way. My recipe also contains apple, pear, and — shock! — tomato ketchup. Serve the fish dressed in the marinade with a bit of bread. Delicious.

Allow 1 or 2 red mullet fillets per person. This marinade makes enough for 6-8 fillets.

For the salt cure
Table salt (enough to cover the fish with 2mm)
1 lemon
1 lime
1 dsp ground coriander
Sherry vinegar

For the marinade
3 carrots
1 onion
8 cloves of garlic
400ml olive oil
Bouquet garni (ideally consisting of a bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and celery leaves)
2 cloves
2 tsp coriander seeds
A couple of slices of lemon
1 braeburn apple, finely chopped
1 williams pear, finely chopped
100ml champagne or white-wine vinegar
25ml sherry vinegar
200ml water
5-6 saffron strands
2 tsp tomato ketchup
Tabasco, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste

To make the cure, place the salt in a bowl and finely grate the lemon and lime zest over it. Add the ground coriander and mix.

Now spread some of the salt mix over a tray or plate large enough to hold the fish in one layer. The salt should have an even depth of about 2mm. Press the mullet fillets, skin side down, onto the salt. Sprinkle with a little sherry vinegar, then press more of the salt over the fish, so that the fillets are completely covered.

Leave for 45 minutes, then thoroughly wash the salt off the fish. Set the fish aside in the fridge until needed.

To make the marinade, slice the carrot, onion and garlic as finely as possible, but keep them separate. If you have a mandolin, use this, but please mind your fingers.

Heat 100ml of the olive oil in a large casserole on a low to medium heat. Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, then cook for 10 minutes more. At this stage, taste a carrot. It should be cooked, but have a little resistance. Cook for a few minutes more if necessary — once you have added the vinegar, the vegetables will cook no further.

Add the bouquet garni, cloves, coriander seeds, lemon slices, apple, pear and both ,the vinegars. Simmer for 5 minutes, add the remaining olive oil, the water and the saffron, then cook for a further 10 minutes. Finish by adding the ketchup and a few drops of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 5 more minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and allow the marinade to cool to room temperature.

Heat a nonstick pan and place the red mullet fillets in it, skin side down. Press lightly on the flesh for about 10 seconds, then remove from the pan — this softens the skin. Place the fillets, flesh side down, in the marinade and leave for a couple of hours.

Make sure that, when you serve, the fish is at room temperature. Give the marinade a stir so that the vinegar and oil are well mixed, then spoon over the fish. Ensure that everyone gets a couple of coriander seeds, as these bursts of flavour really lift the dish.

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