Escovitch Fish Sliders
Recipe GLPR582a0dc07c9847
Flaky snapper fillets grilled to tender perfection, piled onto toasted sweet rolls and topped with a vibrant spiced vinegar slaw and creamy chili-lime mayo. This Jamaican-inspired dish brings together pickled vegetables with warming spices, creating a balance of heat, tang, and richness in every bite.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
4 or 5 allspice berries
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, scored and left whole
2 cloves garlic, 1 grated and 1 crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup malt vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 small yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon sweet chile sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 scallion, minced
1 1/4 pounds skinless thick snapper fillets (about 3 fillets)
Vegetable oil, for brushing
One 12-ounce package (12 rolls) sweet dinner rolls, such as King's Hawaiian, split and lightly toasted
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the allspice berries, thyme sprigs, whole Scotch bonnet chile, grated garlic, ginger, sugar, malt vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes, until the sugar and salt dissolve and the spices become fragrant. Transfer the entire mixture to a serving bowl.
Add the carrot matchsticks, sliced red onion, sliced red bell pepper, and sliced yellow bell pepper to the hot vinegar mixture. Toss gently to coat all vegetables evenly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you prepare and cook the fish.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chile sauce, lime juice, and minced scallion until well combined. Set this spicy mayo mixture aside.
Preheat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Rub both sides of each snapper fillet with the crushed garlic clove, then discard the garlic. Season the fillets generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
Lightly brush both sides of the seasoned snapper fillets with vegetable oil. Brush the hot grill pan with a thin layer of oil to prevent sticking.
Place the snapper fillets on the hot grill pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes without moving them, until grill marks appear and the bottom is opaque. Carefully flip each fillet and cook for another 2 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and flakes easily when tested with a fork (the internal temperature should reach 145°F). Transfer the cooked fish to a cutting board.
Cut or gently break the cooked snapper fillets into pieces sized to fit inside the toasted dinner rolls.
Spread a thin layer of the spicy mayo mixture on the bottom half of each toasted sweet roll. Remove and discard the Scotch bonnet chile and thyme sprigs from the pickled vegetable relish. Top each roll with a piece of grilled fish, a small handful of the pickled vegetables, and a light drizzle of the pickling liquid.
Serve the sliders immediately with the remaining spicy mayo and pickled vegetable relish on the side for guests to add more as desired.
