Escovitch Fish

Name: Escovitch Fish
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 26 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 2 Pounds Red Snapper; 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil; 1 clove peeled crushed Garlic; 1/2 tsp Ginger; 2 sprigs Thyme; 1 Bay Leaf; 0.5 Red Pepper; 0.5 Yellow Pepper; 1 sliced Onion; 1 chopped Carrots; 1 tbs Sugar; 1/2 tsp Allspice; 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce; 1 Scotch Bonnet; 1 Lime; 3/4 cup Malt Vinegar; pinch Pepper

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Seafood recipe with Jamaican flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 47 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 26 min total

2 Pounds Red Snapper
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 clove peeled crushed Garlic
1/2 tsp Ginger
2 sprigs Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
0.5 Red Pepper
0.5 Yellow Pepper
1 sliced Onion
1 chopped Carrots
1 tbs Sugar
1/2 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Scotch Bonnet
1 Lime
3/4 cup Malt Vinegar
pinch Pepper

Step-by-step instructions

Rinse fish; rub with lemon or lime, seasoned with salt and pepper or use your favorite seasoning. I used creole seasoning. Set aside or place in the oven to keep it warm until sauce is ready.
In large skillet heat oil over medium heat, until hot, add the fish, cook each side- for about 5-7 minutes until cooked through and crispy on both sides. Remove fish and set aside. Drain oil and leave about 2-3 tablespoons of oil Add, bay leave, garlic and ginger, stir-fry for about a minute making sure the garlic does not burn Then add onion, bell peppers, thyme, scotch bonnet, sugar, all spice-continue stirring for about 2-3 minutes. Add vinegar, mix an adjust salt and pepper according to preference. Let it simmer for about 2 more minutes.
Discard bay leave, thyme spring and serve over fish with a side of this bammy. You may make the sauce about 2 days in advance.

Why this works on a weeknight

Escovitch Fish genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Stir-Fry collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Escovitch Fish actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥢 Stir-Fry Seafood Jamaican ⚡ 30-Min Dinner Seafood Spicy Speciality Easter