OK, for those of us who are not used to green bananas, this doesn’t sound that appetizing, but hold on! You really must try this salad, it is savory and sweet, mildly spicy, and delicious. This salad can be made for a Tailgate at Keenland Race Track, or a picnic, or just an interesting salad for a dinner with friends. You need green bananas, and the Cavendish banana is the typically banana found in US grocery stores. However, you an find other types in Latin grocery stores, plantain and Lady Finger bananas can be found. One potential banana for this dish would be the red banana, but you would need it to be unrippened.
Guineos en Escabeche (Puerto Rican Green Banana Salad)
This is a great salad that is a bit unusual but in a very good way! It is delicious and well worth trying.
Ingredients
- 4 Green Banana Make sure these are very green, or as green as you can get.
- ½ cup White Vinegar
- 1 cup EVOO
- ½ White onion diced
- 6-8 Manzanilla pimento stuffed olives, sliced
- 1 Garlic small head, minced
- ½ cup Roasted red peppers diced
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 6 Peppercorns
- ½+ Sea Salt
Instructions
- Peel the green bananas, and then slice them into about ½-¾ inch rounds
- Place them in salted boiling water. Watch them closely as you don't want them to become mushy. When they are soft enough to be forked, they are ready.
- Pour them into a strainer, then put them in a bowl in an ice bath.
- Place the vinegar, EVOO, garlic, onions, bay leaf and peppercorns in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the onions and garlic are fragrant and soft.
- Let the escabeche cool, or place it in an ice bath as well. Then pour the escabeche over the bananas.
- Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight, then serve.
- With the amount of oil and the vinegar these can keep longer in the refrigerator. They can be placed in Bell jars, and weighted. Make sure the oil completely covers the banana mixture. Place in the refrigerator and they should keep for days without problem.
- Use this dish as a side for Pasteles along with the Puerto Rican vegetarian rice, an the Puerto Rican potato salad.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
