Some of the best escabeche(pickled peppers and vegetables) were the ones prepared at home. Most often they were jalapeños, carrots and onions in a simple brine of white vinegar, salt and a touch of oil. Todays version is escabeche with cauliflower and assorted chile peppers. We had a favorite brand that Mom would purchase too. As soon as that can was opened up, we would make a fast dash to eat up the few carrots that would be right on top when you poured the can into a bowl! Lol! And because there were so few carrots in the canned versions, Mom would take the brine(pickling liquid) from the can and pour it over carrots that had been lightly poached. She would cover it tight and tell us we had to wait days before we could eat them. It was torture! Those days have long past, but I still get excited everytime I open my favorite can of jalapeños in escabeche. The carrots are still my favorite. When I discovered how easy it was to prepare escabeche with just a few simple ingredients, there was no looking back. I like to serve it as is as a snack or botana for parties. And it’s never a bad idea to serve with tacos! #escabeche #foodieforlife
You want somewhat thin uniform pieces for escabeche.
Escabeche
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cauliflower
- 5 medium carrots
- 1 sweet onion
- 2 large jalapeños
- 4-6 serrano peppers
- 1 habanero optional
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- Dried chile piquin optional
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- salt to taste I started with 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Slice and chop all of the vegetables and peppers into uniform size. You can slice into strips or rounds. Don’t make the pieces to thick so that they will marinate and pickle easily. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil to medium heat. After a minutes, add the cauliflower and carrots. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the onions, jalapeños, serrano and habanero. Saute for another 2 minutes.
- Add in the bay leaves, oregano and peppercorns. In a large measuring cup, add the vinegar, water and salt. Season well to ensure it will season all the way through. Pour into the skillet with vegetables. Stir well and cook on low for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will keep for 6-8 weeks.
Notes
Reader Interactions
Comments
Would Love to Hear From You
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This Escabeche looks so delicious! I really want to try this at home. I’ve never made escabeche at home but I really think its not as difficult as I once thought! Thank you so much for sharing.
It’s so easy Billy! Thanks for the feedback!
Went to a local Mexican restaurant recently and they do not serve the carrot relish. I still go there, but I love that stuff so much! I make little relish tacos with grilled jalapenos & onions instead of eating the chips and cheese. Have made it before but yours seems much easier and it has cauliflower too!
Thank you John! Those tacos sounds soooo good!
I know what I’m making today! This looks so delicious…thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome Debra!
Hi Sonia! Thanks for the recipe. It brings me back memories as well. Can I use olive oil or avocado oil instead?
You don’t want to use olive oil, because it will congeal when you refrigerate it.I use natural oils like grapeseed or avocado oil. They are flavorless and have a high smoke point compared to olive oil. They won’t congeal.
This was incredible!! I have been meaning to make escabeche to add essentially to everything – frijoles, arroz, on a tortilla.
Your instructions were easy to follow.
I doubled the recipe because I had two cauliflowers and only used jalapeños because that’s ll i have in my garden. I am so excited to share the extra jars with family!
Thank you so much Noemi! Hey. Noemi is my middle name! Not many of us out there, lol! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
I was wondering, can you possibly can this? Like pickles?
I don’t see why you couldn’t Jean. I am not experienced in canning, but it’s a basic recipe with vinegar, salt and water. Bet it would be great!
I have many times and it works great. If you want the peppers to retain a bit of “crunch”, you can add a bit of any product meant to retain crisping in canning. Ball brand makes one that I like. But I’ve canned escabeche for years because my husband goes through it so fast and we always have an avalanche of peppers from our garden.
Thank you for your help Christi! I appreciate it!
My pleasure! I remember watching my mom and great aunt canning every summer when I was a kid. My mom taught me when I was a teen, and now, here I am in my 50s still gardening and canning! It’s something that keeps me connected to my heritage.
It’s important to stay connected!
Thank you for the recipe.
I have my own recipe, and way of making escabeche, but sometimes I like to see other recipes, or need reminding of the proportions.
I was looking at recipes (in english) and very few called for cooking or sautéing the veggies first.
That disqualified most of those recipes for me, luckily I found your recipe which reminds me of my own and does everything I need it to do.
Cheers
Hi Tony! I always remember that little glistening of oil in the escabeche and just assumed the ingredients were sautéed in some oil first. Plus it adds more flavor with that step. And yes, most other recipe I have seen just pour the brine over the vegetables. It’s not quite the same. Thanks for taking the time to write!
If I plan to can this, should I cook the veggies first? Also, can I roast the veggies instead of basically frying them? As long as I don’t actually chat the skins, I imagine it would give it a great deal of flavor in a different way.
I have no experience in long term canning, to be honest. As far as roasting the ingredients, it’s fine. But the simmering of the ingredients after a light sauté is to soften the vegetables a bit before you cover them in the brine. If you pour a hot brine over the roasted veggies, I am sure it will be fine.
I’ve seen many taquerias in So. Cal. that have slices of red potato in this. Can I do this with this recipe and would anything be done differently? I really enjoy your recipe. The pickled slices of red potatos in the escabeche is a real treat that I enjoy.
Hi! Potatoes in escabeche is a very old and traditional recipe that my family prepares as well. You would pre-cook your small potatoes and then mix in them in with the prepared escabeche to marinate with the rest of the ingredients. They must be enjoyed in a timely manner though because the potatoes can make the brine cloudy after a while.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. When you say “pre-cook”, you mean parboil?
PS. love all your recipes that my wife and I have tried. Thank you!
Hi! Well when I think of something being par-boiled it’s not fully cooked and will finish cooking in the recipe. But with potatoes, they are not going to finish cooking with the escabeche. Thye are simply going to be added in to the other ingredients so they marinate together.