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Guineítos en escabeche
Guineítos en escabeche: Puerto Rican pickled green bananas
Every Puerto Rican Christmas table and roadside lechonera on the Ruta del Lechón in Guavate seems to have a bowl of these: green bananas boiled, sliced into thick coins and left to steep in a garlicky olive-oil and vinegar marinade with soft onions, bay and green olives. They are sharp, silky and filling, and taste even better on the second day, so they are made in big batches for parties. The common mistake is boiling the bananas until mushy; they should be tender but still hold their coin shape. Peel them with oiled hands or gloves, because the sap stains. Chef's tip: pour the marinade over the bananas while both are still warm, so the starch soaks up the flavour.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 8 green bananasunripe
- 2 tsp salt1 tsp for the water, 1 tsp for the marinade
- 1 tsp vegetable oilfor your hands
For the escabeche
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 onionsthinly sliced into rings
- 6 cloves garlicthinly sliced
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 ⅞ oz pimento-stuffed green oliveshalved
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 1 tsp salt. Cut the ends off 8 green bananas, score the skins lengthways along the ridges and boil them in their skins for 15–20 minutes, until a knife slides into the flesh easily but it still feels firm.
18 minStep 2: Drain, rub your hands with 1 tsp vegetable oil and peel the bananas while warm. Slice into 2 cm coins and put them in a glass or ceramic dish.
Step 3: While the bananas boil, warm ¾ cup olive oil in a pan over a low heat. Add 2 onions, 6 cloves garlic, 3 bay leaves and 1 tsp black peppercorns and cook gently for 8 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent but not browned.
8 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and stir in ½ cup white vinegar, 2 ⅞ oz pimento-stuffed green olives and the rest of 1 tsp salt. Taste: it should be sharp and well salted.
Step 5: Pour the warm marinade over the bananas and turn gently to coat. Cool, cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. It keeps for 4 days in the fridge; serve at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does guineítos en escabeche take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of green bananas?
- Mango, same weight (in smoothies and shakes).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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