2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 red onion, sliced thin (preferably with a mandolin)
1/4-cup capers, drained
1/4-cup green Spanish olives
4 bay leaves torn in two with hands
1 cup olive oil blend — 90% vegetable oil, 10% olive oil
12 oz. Snapper filets
Cumin paste (recipe follows)
Tamarind sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions:

1. Mix first five ingredients in a shallow bowl for the "Escabeche" mixture.
   
2. Cut the snapper into two 6-ounce fillets and make shallow diagonal cuts in the skin so the fish does not curl when cooking.
   
3. Rub cumin paste on the non-skin side of the fish fillets.
   
4. Put a sauté pan on the fire on high temperature and add one tablespoon olive oil blend.
   
5. Sauté snapper on paste side until brown. Turn and brown skin side.
   
6. As soon as snapper is cooked through, place in "Escabeche" mixture and cool in refrigerator for an hour.
   
7. Serve with Tamarind Sauce and Chick Pea Salad (recipes follows).

Cumin Paste

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. roasted cumin seeds, ground coarse
1 Tbs. whole black peppercorns
1 Tbs. sea salt
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp. olive oil

Instructions:

1. Roast cumin in a pan on the stove at low temperature. When it starts popping, move the seeds around with wooden spoon until dark brown but not burnt. Let cool and coarsely grind in a mortar.
   
2. Roast and grind peppercorns the same way.
   
3. Grind all ingredients into a paste in a mortar.

Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients:

12 oz. container Tamarind juice (Goya)
1 Tbs. tangerine rind, sliced thin
2 Tbs. brown sugar (raw)
1/4-cup water
2 Tbs. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped rough.
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. srirasha (found in oriental markets)

Instructions:

1. Simmer first four ingredients in a shallow pan until reduced by half. Let cool to room temperature.
   
2. Put the remaining ingredients into a blender and slowly add reduced liquid until well blended.
   
3. Cool in refrigerator for an hour. Spoon over Snapper Escabeche (recipe above).