FATMA’S ALGERIAN ESCABECHE

"From Fatma Charif who in 1974 spent a lot of time furthering my culinary
education in Algiers. You can use any small fillet you like such as
Mediterranean mullet, fillets of ocean perch, smelts, fillets of tinker
mackerel, etc."

1 cup olive oil
2 pounds fresh large sardines or pilchards, dressed
unbleached all-purpose flour as needed
salt
6 large cloves garlic, finly chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 to 6 tiny dried Tabasco peppers (piments oiseaux), to your personal taste,
chopped into a powder
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ˝ teaspoon dried
1 Mediterranean bay leaf, crumbled
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
pepper from the mill

Heat 1/3 cup of the oil in a large skillet. Toss the sardines in just enough
salted flour to coat them lightly. Fry the sardines on both side over high
heat until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and
let set until cool enough to handle. Bone each fish, then replace the top
fillet on the bottom fillet. Arrange the sardines head to tail in a large
dish. Cool completely.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pan; add the garlic and cook, stirring,
over medium heat until beige, then add the onion and carrot and sauté until
wilted. Add the paprika, cumin, Tabasco powder, thyme, and bay leaf. Remove
the pan from the heat, let it cool to lukewarm, and whisk in the vinegar and
water; bring back to a high boil and continue boiling happily for 10 to 12
minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pour bright hot over the cool
sardines.
Cool to room temperature and cover with plastic wrap; punch small holes in
the plastic and marinate 24 to 36 hours in the refrigerator. Serve chilled
with good crispy bread

Serves 6.

country : Algeria
course : fish dish

source : The New Making of a Cook : The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good
Cooking / Madeleine Kamman