Add Color to Your Plate with Sea Bream Escabeche

The other day, I was at the local fishmonger just before they were about to close for the evening. Its my favorite time to go, because everything goes on sale. On that particular day, there was still some red sea bream sitting in the case and I scored the lot for under five dollars. Earlier in the day, Id picked up a bunch of sweet spring onions at the farmers market, and with the Meyer lemons I had sitting in my fruit bowl at home, I had the makings for a great Escabeche. Although originally a Spanish dish, the preparation of frying meat or fish, and then marinating it in vinegar has worked its way around the world, showing up in local dishes from Japan to Jamaica. In this version, the thin flour coating helps the fish absorb all the flavors in the marinade, and the tangy onion and red bell pepper slaw creates a refreshing counterpoint to the fried fish. I love throwing in a bit of Meyer lemon or Yuzu juice to add a citrusy note and to keep the pungent vinegar from becoming overwhelming. The best part of escabeche is that its one of those dishes you can wing. It can be made with almost any kind of fish and by changing the marinade up a little you can come up with wildly different variations. Try it with lime juice, fish sauce and mint to give it some Southeast Asian flair, or throw in a shredded beet and dill for something more Eastern European.

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Marc Matsumoto is a culinary consultant and recipe repairman who shares his passion for good food through his website norecipes.com. For Marc, food is a life long journey of exploration, discovery and experimentation and he shares his escapades through his blog in the hopes that he inspires others to find their own culinary adventures. Marcs been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and has made multiple appearances on NPR and the Food Network.