Recipe: Fish in Escabeche with Asparagus

Recipe Source: Bayless, Rick.  Mexican Everyday.  W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 2005

I recently wrote up a review of this cookbook, and flipping through it to write the review reminded me of all the wonderful things I wanted to cook.  This recipe in particular caught my eye.  It had garlic - lots of garlic.  It had spices.  It had flexibility.  And it had a very hot salsa.  Of course I had to make it! 

I did make quite a few changes, and the following is the recipe as I prepared it.  First, I used fish instead of chicken.  It was suggested by the author, so I figured it would be okay, and I'm using Lent as an excuse to eat a bit healthier.  I used half again as much garlic as was called for, because I really like garlic.  Besides, there's a really nasty flu strain out there and I'll take all the protection I can get.  I used half as much olive oil as was called for in the recipe.  I substituted allspice for the cinnamon for an incredibly lame reason: I couldn't find the ground cinnamon.  Of course, I found the (large) jar of cinnamon when I went to put the allspice back in the cabinet... about five minutes later... on the top shelf.  At any rate, while the allspice may not be particularly authentic I think it tasted really good, so I'll keep using it when I make the dish again.  I used half as much protein as called for because there are only two of us.  I substituted vegetable broth for chicken broth.  I used asparagus, as it is technically spring here and the recipe called for asparagus in spring.  Besides, we both love asparagus too!  Finally, we used the Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa as described on page 158 of the book.  I'll post that recipe separately, since there are a thousand other uses for it and since you can substitute any bottled green chili salsa according to Mr. Bayless. 

Fish in Escabeche with Asparagus (serves 2, approx. $5.62 per person)

1 1/2 heads garlic, broken into individual cloves

1/6 cup olive oil

6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 package frozen mahi-mahi filets, thawed

1 cup vegetable broth

1 lb asparagus, trimmed

1/2 cup green chili salsa

Equipment:

• Microwave (you can roast the garlic in your oven but this takes time)
• Food processor
• Grill or broiler
• Saucepan

1. Cut a slit in the side of each garlic clove and place in a microwaveable bowl.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, poke a couple of holes in the wrap, and cook on high for 30 seconds. 
3. Allow the garlic to cool until you can handle it and slip off the papery husks.
4. Start the food processor running.  One by one, drop the garlic cloves into the processor.
5. Add the oil, vinegar, spices and sugar to the processor and process until smooth. 
6. Scrape half of the liquid into a bowl. 
7. Add the fish and toss to coat.
8. Place the fish in individual foil packets with the marinade that was used to coat them.  Wrap securely.
9. Heat your grill to medium. 
10. Cook the fish for 5 minutes per side.
11. While the fish is cooking, boil the remaining marinade (the stuff left in the food processor) with the broth  and salt to taste in the saucepan. 
12. At the same time, place the asparagus in a microwave-proof bowl.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water and cover with plastic wrap.
13. Poke a couple of holes in the plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 minutes. 
14. Transfer the asparagus to a serving plate. 
15. When the fish comes back in, add the fish on top of the asparagus and pour the boiling sauce over them.  Serve with the salsa. 

I fully admit that we could have easily gotten away with half the amount of asparagus, but as I mentioned we both really like asparagus and were both ravenous.  I know that I used more garlic than Mr. Bayless would have, and that the allspice was not at all what he intended.  I chose allspice as a substitute because it is often used in conjunction with cinnamon in baking, so I thought that it would have a pleasant taste here.  I wasn't disappointed.  I loved the way my whole kitchen smelled afterward.  It was especially nice to get to use the grill so early in the season! 

This is what the finished dish looked like with a bit of the salsa I made:

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