Make Sierra En Escabeche and enjoy pickled flavored fish the same day! This is a flaky fish with a delicious flavor.
Sierra en Escabeche is Puerto Rican pickled fish that is usually made with kingfish. This is a fish recipe that is very popular during the Lent period but is consumed year-round.
This is not a recipe that needs to be cured for days. You just have to cook the fish and add an escabeche, which is where the pickled flavor comes from.
This is the way in Puerto Rico and many other countries, like Spain, to make pickled-flavored food. There are many recipes made with the escabeche, like, Puerto Rican guineos en escabeche or the Puerto Rican cassava escabeche.
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Why This Recipe Works
- You can make pickled fish without the need to wait for days!
- This is a recipe that works with any type of fish.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sierra(king fish)- This recipe is traditionally made with sierra, which is king fish. But the great part about this is that you can use any fish. Tilapia is a great substitute.
- Adobo- The adobo is the only seasoning we use because we want the pickled flavor to shine. No need for a heavy seasoning.
- Onion & peppers- Traditionally, we only use onion and pepper. You can add other vegetables that go well in an escabeche, like thinly sliced carrots.
- Escabeche- The escabeche is the “secret sauce” that gives the fish a pickled flavor. It is mainly made with oil, vinegar, garlic, black pepper corns, and bay leaves.
How to Make Sierra en Escabeche
- Photo 1: First, we need to cut all the vegetables. You can cut the vegetable however you like, but I like cutting the onion into small wedges. The peppers, I just thinly sliced them.
- Photo 2: We then season the kingfish with the adobo. There’s no need to leave this marinating. We then need to fry the fish in a big pot with oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Set the fish in a deep dish so it can hold the escabeche.
- Photo 3: While the fish fries, we make the escabeche to save some time. In a medium-sized pot, we add the oil, vegetables, and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes, turn off the heat, and add the garlic and vinegar and mix.
- Photo 4: Pour the escabeche directly on the fish.
Recipe Tips
- Some people serve this the same day. Others make this recipe days ahead. Plus, the good thing about making this ahead is that the pickled flavor deepens.
- Some people store the sierra in a deep dish, while others store it in a big jar. So store either way you like.
- This kingfish is traditionally served in Puerto Rico with viandas (vegetables) like boiled plantains, yuca, guineos, or ñames.
Common Questions
While you can make an escabeche with apple cider vinegar, I don’t recommend it. This is because the apple cider vinegar has a different flavor from white vinegar.
This is really just a preference; some people do while others don’t, but it is not necessary. This is unless you are going to be a breaded fish.
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Sierra En Escabeche (Pickled Fish)
Ingredients
Fish
- 3 king fish pieces
- ¾ teaspoon adobo
- 2 cups oil to fry
Escabeche
- 1 cup oil
- 1 yellow onion
- ½ green pepper
- ¼ red pepper
- 1 teaspoon adobo
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorn
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic paste
- ½ cup white vinegar
Instructions
- First, peel the onion. Cut it in half and then into 1-inch-thick wedges. Next, slice the red and green bell peppers into 1-inch thick strips. Set aside for later.
- Season the kingfish with ¾ teaspoon of adobo on both sides. Make sure the entire fish is well seasoned. Then, in a large pot, add 2 cups of oil over medium-high heat. Fry the fish for 5 minutes on each side. Place it on a shallow plate and set aside for later.
- While the fish is frying, prepare the escabeche. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil, vegetables, black pepper, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of adobo. Cook for 5 minutes. Once cooked, turn off the heat, add the garlic paste, and vinegar, and stir.
- Pour the escabeche marinade mix over the fried fish. Serve and enjoy!
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Recipe Notes
- You can prepare this recipe in advance and serve it later.
- The longer the fish remains in the escabeche marinade, the more intense its flavor will have.
- The fish will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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