Escovitch Shrimp

Traditionally, escovitch fish is made by deep-frying whole snapper, tucking it under spicy, pickled tangles of carrot and onion and leaving it undisturbed for hours or even overnight. This recipe calls for smaller, highly permeable shrimp instead, which benefit from a mere 10-minute swim in the assertive vinegar mix. Escovitch fish in Jamaica has a lineage that can be traced back to the 16th century, when Jewish settlers fleeing persecution in Spain brought a pickled fish dish with a similar inflection, escabeche, across the waters. To serve, drape the shrimp and pickled vegetables over rice and peas or scoop it up with plantain chips as a shared appetizer.