Help Identify Corsican Pickled Salmon Dish

[Lindacakes]

I'm hoping someone can help me solve a delicious mystery . . .

I just got back from a trip to Paris and Corsica. I was served a fabulous salad in Corsica that consisted of a simple mixture of endive, carrots, cauliflower, red onions, frisee, some lettuce greens.

Next to the salad was a pickling jar propped open with a cinnamon stick. Inside the jar were three pieces of salmon pickled in olive oil, star anise, capers, thyme, rosemary, carrots, some other unidentified things.

I hope I'm properly attaching the photograph.

Does anyone know what this is? Where I can get a recipe for it? Maybe it was the setting, or the wine, but it was truly one of the great dining experiences in my life and something I'd like to serve to guests.

Thanks for your help!

[Adam Balic]

It looks like a version of escabeche (scabecciu in Corsican dilect), a common way of preserving fish in a vinegar base around the Med. (and the rest of the word for that matter). As far as I know there are no native populations of salmon in Corsica and the star anise doesn't sound very typical either.

But a basic recipe* might be:

1 kilo of fish

salt

200 ml olive oil

1 lemon

seasoning (bay leaves, cinnamon stick, onion, star anise etc)

150 ml white wine vinegar

50 ml water

Season fish with salt, fry fish in half the olive oil until just cooked through, pat of oil with kitchen towel, and put fish into a sterile jar or baking dish, layer with lemon slices. Discard oil used to fry fish, add the rest of the oil to the pan with the seasoning and cook for 1-2 minutes until seasonings release their scent. Add vinegar and water, boil for 5 minutes then pour over the fish, allow to cool, then store fish in a cool place or refridgerator for 2-3 days.

* based on a recipe by Rolli Lucarotti

[Lindacakes]

Thank you! How long can you keep this -- the 3 days mentioned?

[Adam Balic]

The function for these dishes was to preserve the fish, so in theory weeks or months, but in practice I think something less then that.

I have been meaning to make this dish for a white, so thanks for the reminder.

[Lindacakes]

No problem, thanks for the help.

I was excited by the concept that I could "put up" the fish ahead of needing to serve it. And I really liked digging around in that pickling jar, trying to find the fish.

When I look at the picture and consider recreating it, I'm thinking there needs to be some sort of cheesy bread in the picture, like a blue cheese popover kind of thing. Herb biscuit.