Description
An authentic recipe for Guineos en Escabeche that makes a colorful & flavorful side dish or appetizer. These pickled green bananas are marinated with sautéed onion, peppers, whole spices, olives, vinegar and oil. This unique Puerto Rican dish brings a bright zesty flavor unlike any other!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6–8 green bananas
- 1 tbsp salt + 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup white vinegar + 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp oil + 1 cup oil (avocado, olive, etc.)
- 1 small onion (white, yellow or red), julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, julienned
- 1 green pepper (bell, poblano, jalapeño, etc.), julienned
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/3 cup pimento olives, halved
- 2 tbsp cilantro, minced
Instructions
- Peel & slice green bananas. Peel the bananas and slice into 1 inch rounds.
- Boil the bananas with salt & vinegar. Add the bananas to a pot (see note) and cover with water. Season the water with 1 tbsp salt and a quarter cup of vinegar. Boil until the bananas are fork tender, about 10 minutes.
- Cool the bananas. Transfer the bananas to a bowl (see note) filled with ice water to chill for a few minutes. Strain out the water and ice, leaving the bananas in the cold bowl. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator.
- Sauté the onion & peppers. Warm a tablespoon of oil in a pan (see note) over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and sauté until they begin to soften, about 5-10 minutes.
- Season the escabeche marinade. To the vegetables add the rest of the salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, until the garlic is fragrant, before adding the rest of the oil and vinegar. Bring to a simmer before turning off the heat completely. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
- Combine bananas & marinade. Pour the marinade over the bananas in the chilled bowl. Add the olives and cilantro and toss everything together gently, coating the bananas with the marinade.
- Chill then enjoy. Cover the bowl and transfer to the fridge to let everything marinate together. Chill for 1 hour or over night. Enjoy!
Notes
- Important: Be sure to use bowls and pans that are nonreactive to vinegar. Avoid materials like aluminum, copper, and iron. I recommend using glass, ceramic, or stainless steel.
- Storage: These pickled green bananas will keep for up to 1 week when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.