Rick's Seared Fish in Escabeche

Rick's Seared Fish in Escabeche
Recipe courtesy of Rick Bayless
Serves 6

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 five- to six-ounce boneless and skinless red snapper or halibut fillets, about 3/4 inch thick (mahi-mahi, grouper, or salmon can also be used)
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6 medium cloves garlic, quartered
3 whole cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup Homemade Chicken Stock, skimmed of fat (or 1 cup water) (recipe follows)
1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
3 dried bay leaves
Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme, roughly chopped, plus whole sprigs for garnish, or 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 two-inch piece cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican canela
Coarse salt
3 to 4 large fresh or pickled jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced lengthwise

In a large, well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 cup oil over medium-high heat. Pat fish dry. Working in batches if necessary, cook in a single uncrowded layer until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn, and cook until second side is brown and fish flakes under firm pressure, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove to a plate, and set aside. Discard oil from pan.
Reduce heat to medium, and add remaining tablespoon oil. When hot, add onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and carrots are almost soft, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cloves and black pepper in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, and process until coarsely ground. Add to vegetables, along with stock, vinegar, bay leaves, thyme, and cinnamon. Cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Taste; season with salt (about 3/4 teaspoon), and stir in jalapeño strips.

To serve warm, lay fillets over simmering escabèche, cover, and gently heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Place one fillet on each of six plates, and spoon some of the escabèche over each one. Garnish with sprigs of thyme. To serve cool, arrange fish on a deep serving platter, and spoon escabèche over. As it cools to room temperature, the fish and vegetables will absorb much of the liquid.

Homemade Chicken Stock
Makes 5 quarts

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
6 fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried dill
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 dried bay leaves
2 leeks, washed, white and pale-green parts only, cut into thirds
2 carrots, scrubbed, cut into thirds
2 celery, cut into thirds
1 4-pound chicken, cut into 6 pieces
1 1/2 pounds chicken wings
1 1/2 pounds chicken backs
12 cups (two 48-ounce cans) canned low-sodium chicken broth

Place peppercorns, dill, parsley, bay leaves, leeks, carrots, celery, chicken, wings, and backs into a large stockpot. Add stock and 6 cups cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Liquid should just bubble up to the surface. A skin will form on the surface of the liquid; skim this off with a slotted spoon, and discard. Repeat as needed. After 45 minutes, remove chicken from the pot, and set aside until it is cool enough to handle.

Remove the meat from the bones, set the meat aside, and return the bones to the pot. Shred the chicken, and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. Continue to simmer the stock, on the lowest heat possible, for 3 hours, skimming as needed. The chicken bones will begin to disintegrate. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a very large bowl. Discard the solids. Place the bowl in an ice bath, and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight containers. Stock may be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 4 months. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. If storing, leave fat layer intact to the seal the stock. Before using, remove the layer of fat that has collected on the surface.