Jamaican Escovitch Red Snapper - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 pound red snapper, gutted and scaled
1 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon seasoned salt, or more to taste
1 tablespoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
1 onion, sliced
1/2 Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup

Preparation

Wash red snapper thoroughly with water and lime juice. Let soak in lime water with 1 teaspoon black pepper in the refrigerator, 10 to 20 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels.
Mix flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper in a shallow bowl. Pat snapper dry with paper towels and lightly coat both sides with flour mixture.
Heat oil in a heavy frying pan until very hot. Deep-fry snapper until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Pour out all but 3 tablespoons of the oil.
Add onion, Scotch bonnet pepper, whole peppercorns, and allspice to the oil in the frying pan. Cook until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Pour in vinegar and stir until heated through. Add ketchup and simmer for 1 minute. Pour over hot snapper and let soak in. Serve hot or cold.