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 grapeseed oil
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 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 grapeseed oil to medium heat. After a minuts, 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 sugar. Season to taste with salt. I like mine a little more salty. 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.
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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!