Growing up in Southern California I ate a lot of Mexican food, especially tacos. So I feel pretty confident in claiming that know a thing or two about spotting a good taqueria from a bad one. And while there are many signs of a great taqueria, one of the most frequent indicators is whether or not they have a full salsa bar. Not just one that features a few options like salsa roja, salsa verde, and pico de gallo, I mean a full salsa bar. One that has extra diced onion and cilantro, quartered limes, sliced radishes, and of course jalapenos en escabeche.
What is Jalapenos en Escabeche
Jalapenos en escabeche (a.k.a. chiles en vinagre) are essentially just pickled jalapenos. But more often than not it will include other vegetables like carrots, onion, cauliflower, and sometimes even potatoes.
It is perfect for easily adding a bit of acidity and heat to any dish from nachos to pizza. And if you love eating spicy foods there’s almost nothing better to snack on. But best of all it’s such an easy thing to prepare, which makes it a great addition to any home kitchen.
Let’s Talk Chili Peppers
When it comes to the chilis used in this recipe, you have a couple of options. For starters, some jalapenos en escabeche recipes will opt to leave the jalapenos whole instead of sliced. And this is a great choice if you simply plan on snacking on them. However, the versions with sliced jalapenos are much easier to integrate into so many dishes. And let’s be honest, you can just as easily snack on the sliced jalapenos as whole ones, so that’s what we’ll be doing today.
Secondly, if you prefer your escabeche a little bit hotter then you can easily swap out some or all of the jalapenos with serrano peppers. Just make sure to use two serranos for every jalapeno that you substitute as they are often a bit smaller in size.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- These jalapenos en escabeche will stay good in your fridge for at least 1 month and sometimes up to 2 months.
- Make sure that your jars are clean and sanitized before adding the pickled jalapenos. And while there are many ways you can do this, my favorite approach is to start by washing the inside of the jars with hot water. Then I simply dry them and place them in a 200 ℉ oven for roughly 15 minutes until they are bone dry.
- The amounts for this recipe should fit snuggly into one quart-sized (32 oz.) canning jar or two pint-sized (16 oz.) canning jars. That being said always have one extra sanitized canning jar on hand as you never know if you’ll have extra.
- As we’ve already stated these jalapenos en escabeche are great on nachos and pizza. But you can also take them a step further by mincing them rather fine into a relish. Which is great on hot dogs and sandwiches, or even mixed into scrambled eggs.
Jalapeños en Escabeche Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 1 quart-sized canning jar (32 oz.)
Ingredients
8 to 10 Jalapeno peppers
1 Large carrot
1 Medium white onion
A quarter of a cauliflower (optional)
¼ Cup of neutral-flavored oil
4 Cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 Bay leaves
10 Black peppercorns
1 Teaspoon of dried oregano
¼ Teaspoon of dried thyme
2 Cups of vinegar, either white or apple cider
1 Cup of water
1 Tablespoon of salt, either kosher or sea salt
Instructions
- Prep vegetables by destemming the jalapeno peppers and cutting them into ¼ inch sized slices. Peel the carrots and also cut them into ¼ inch sized slices. Peel the onion and cut it into thin slices. And finally, break down the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
- Sautee the vegetables: Get out a large walled pan or skillet and add the ¼ cup of oil to it. Place this over medium heat and toss in the jalapenos, carrots, onion, cauliflower, and garlic. Sautee these ingredients for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Toss in the bay leaves, black peppercorns, oregano, and thyme. Stir to incorporate and continue to sautee everything for another minute or two.
- Simmer in liquid: Add the vinegar, water, and salt to the pan/skillet and stir to incorporate everything together. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and let everything cook for about 10 minutes or until the jalapenos have turned to a dull olive green color.
- Jar the escabeche: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked vegetables to sanitized jars. Then spoon most of the remaining liquid into the jars so that it covers the vegetables.
Cover the jars with lids, let them cool to room temperature, then place them into your fridge for 12 hours before eating.
- Enjoy!
Jalapeños en Escabeche Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 Jalapeno peppers
- 1 Large carrot
- 1 Medium white onion
- A quarter of a cauliflower optional
- ¼ Cup of neutral-flavored oil
- 4 Cloves of garlic peeled and lightly crushed
- 2 Bay leaves
- 10 Black peppercorns
- 1 Teaspoon of dried oregano
- ¼ Teaspoon of dried thyme
- 2 Cups of vinegar either white or apple cider
- 1 Cup of water
- 1 Tablespoon of salt either kosher or sea salt
Instructions
- Prep vegetables by destemming the jalapeno peppers and cutting them into ¼ inch sized slices. Peel the carrots and also cut them into ¼ inch sized slices. Peel the onion and cut it into thin slices. And finally, break down the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
- Sautee the vegetables: Get out a large walled pan or skillet and add the ¼ cup of oil to it. Place this over medium heat and toss in the jalapenos, carrots, onion, cauliflower, and garlic. Sautee these ingredients for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Toss in the bay leaves, black peppercorns, oregano, and thyme. Stir to incorporate and continue to sautee everything for another minute or two.
- Simmer in liquid: Add the vinegar, water, and salt to the pan/skillet and stir to incorporate everything together. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and let everything cook for about 10 minutes or until the jalapenos have turned to a dull olive green color.
- Jar the escabeche: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked vegetables to sanitized jars. Then spoon most of the remaining liquid into the jars so that it covers the vegetables. Cover the jars with lids, let them cool to room temperature, then place them into your fridge for 12 hours before eating.
- Enjoy!
