Oven-Baked Escovitch Fish with Pickled Peppers

The short answer: This baked escovitch fish takes about 35 minutes and has roughly 34g of protein per serving. Snapper fillets get rubbed with garlic, allspice and lime, roasted in a very hot oven until the edges crisp, then smothered in a tangy, fiery pickle of onion, bell pepper, carrot and scotch bonnet.

It’s Friday, and you want the plate you’d order at a Jamaican cookshop: crisp-edged fish under a pile of bright, vinegary peppers. You just don’t want a pot of hot oil on the stove. A very hot oven gets you most of the way there.

It’s one of the meals from our guide to healthy Caribbean recipes that keep the flavor, and it’s built the Clean Fit Fab way: real food, big flavor, and no seed oils.

Why this baked escovitch fish works on tired nights

• The oven does the frying. A hot sheet pan and a little avocado oil give you crisp edges with no deep pot.
• The pickle makes it. Vinegar, allspice and scotch bonnet bring all the punch.
• It’s lean protein. White fish like snapper is high in protein and light on fat.
• It keeps. Escovitch is traditionally eaten warm or at room temperature, so leftovers taste great.

Fish twice a week is one of the simplest habits for a healthy plate, and the Harvard Nutrition Source explains why it earns the spot.

The flavor: what makes it taste so good

Traditional escovitch fish is fried, then dressed with a hot vinegar pickle. We keep the pickle exactly as bold and let the oven handle the fish. So every bite is crisp, sour, sweet and hot at once.

• Allspice berries (pimento), the warm backbone of Jamaican cooking
• Scotch bonnet pepper for real island heat
• Fresh thyme and garlic in the pickle
• Lime and garlic rubbed right into the fish
• Sweet onion, carrot and bell pepper for crunch

What you need

Here’s a quick look at the ingredients. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Fish: red snapper, lime, garlic cloves, ground allspice, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, avocado oil
• Escovitch pickle: extra virgin olive oil, yellow onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, carrot, scotch bonnet pepper, garlic cloves, whole allspice berries, fresh thyme, apple cider vinegar, water, raw honey, sea salt

Also, a note on fat: we cook with extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, butter or ghee. They taste better, and they’re real food.

How to make baked escovitch fish

First, rub the fish with lime, garlic and spices, then roast it on a smoking-hot pan. While it bakes, simmer the vinegar pickle for 3 minutes. Then spoon the hot pickle over the fish and let it sit for a few minutes. The full recipe card is below.

Oven-Baked Escovitch Fish

Allspice and lime-rubbed snapper roasted until crisp, then topped with a hot scotch bonnet vinegar pickle.

35minutes

34gprotein

330calories

4servings

Servings

1x2x3x

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Ingredients Uncheck all

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Fish

• 4 fillets (6 oz) red snapper skin on, patted very dry
• 1 lime juiced
• 3 garlic cloves grated
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
• 3 tbsp avocado oil

Escovitch pickle

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion thinly sliced into rings
• 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
• 1 carrot julienned
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves sliced
• 10 whole allspice berries
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

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1. Heat the oven to 450 F with a sheet pan inside for 10 minutes.
   Start 10 min timer
2. Rub the fish with lime juice, grated garlic, allspice, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Brush the hot pan with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Lay the fillets skin side down and brush the tops with the rest of the oil.
4. Roast for 10 to 14 minutes until the fish flakes easily and the edges are golden.
   Start 14 min timer
5. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, peppers, carrot, scotch bonnet, garlic, allspice berries and thyme and cook for 2 minutes.
   Start 2 min timer
6. Add the vinegar, water, honey and salt. Simmer for 3 minutes so the vegetables soften a little but stay crunchy.
   Start 3 min timer
7. Spoon the hot pickle and its liquid over the fish. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then serve.
   Start 5 min timer

Calories 330Protein 34gCarbohydrates 11gFat 16gFiber 2gper serving, estimated

Serving ideas

Serve it with a scoop of coconut rice and peas, roasted sweet potato or steamed cabbage. In Jamaica it’s also a classic with bammy, a flatbread made from cassava.

Nutrition at a glance: each serving has about 330 calories, 34g protein, 11g carbs and 2g fiber. Numbers are estimates and change with your exact ingredients.

Swaps and variations

• Use whole snapper, kingfish, tilapia or cod instead of snapper fillets.
• Cut the heat with half a scotch bonnet, seeds removed.
• Swap the honey for a teaspoon of maple syrup, or skip it for a sharper pickle.
• Add sliced chayote or green papaya to the pickle for extra crunch.

Make-ahead and storage tips

Keep the baked escovitch fish and its pickle together in the fridge for up to 2 days. The fish soaks up the vinegar as it sits. Eat it cold or at room temperature, or warm it in a 350 F oven for 8 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Save this one for your next long day. Want more? Try our Trini curry channa next.

This article is for general information and is not medical or nutrition advice.