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Puerto Rico · Jaguar Cichlid

Lake Fish Escabeche with Pickled Green Bananas

Escabeche con Guineítos

Up in the mountain lakes around Utuado, a good catch gets fried and laid in a bright escabeche of olive oil, vinegar and onions, with green bananas soaking up the same pickle.

  • Prep 25 min
  • Cook 40 min
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Medium
Photo: LadyPinayForever · CC BY 4.0
Served with: Cuban Avocado Salad ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish and guineítos

For the escabeche

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Boil the guineos. Cut the ends off the green bananas, slit the peel lengthwise and boil in salted water 15–20 minutes until fork-tender. Peel and slice in rounds.
  2. Fry the fish. Season the fish with salt and pepper, dust with flour and fry at 350 °F (175 °C) for 3–4 minutes per side until golden. Drain.
  3. Make the escabeche. In a pan, warm the olive oil over low heat with the onions, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns for 10 minutes until the onions are soft but not brown. Add the vinegar, olives and salt and bring just to a simmer.
  4. Layer and rest. In a deep glass dish layer the fish and guineítos, pouring the hot escabeche over each layer. Cover and let rest at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
  5. Serve. Serve at room temperature with avocado salad and plenty of the onions on top.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Cuba

Cuban Avocado Salad

Ensalada de Aguacate

Thick slices of buttery Caribbean avocado with sweet onion, oil and vinegar. Nothing fancy, just the cool salad on every Cuban table beside fried fish and rice.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 0 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 1 large Caribbean avocado (or 2 Hass avocados), ripe but firm
  • ½ small sweet onion, very thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar or lime juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Black pepper

How to make it

  1. Soften the onion. Toss the onion slices with the vinegar and a pinch of salt and leave 5 minutes to mellow.
  2. Slice the avocado. Halve and pit the avocado, peel it and cut it into thick slices or chunks. Lay them on a plate.
  3. Dress. Scatter the onion over the avocado, then drizzle with the olive oil and any vinegar left in the bowl.
  4. Season. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve right away.

Photo: Nowforever · CC BY-SA 4.0

More ways to cook Jaguar Cichlid

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Granada, NicaraguaNicaraguan Fried Guapote
Puerto Limón, Costa RicaCaribbean Rondón: Fish and Root Vegetables in Coconut Milk
Pinar del Río, CubaCuban-Style Fried Cichlid with Sour-Orange Mojo