{{Short description|Ibero-American fish, meat or vegetable dish}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2009}} {{Infobox food | name = Escabeche | image = Trucha en escabeche.jpg | image_size = 250 px | image_alt = | caption = Trout escabeche, from Spain | alternate_name = | type = | course = | country = | region = Mediterranean, Hispanic America, Caribbean, the Philippines, Guam | national_cuisine = | creator = <!-- or | creators = --> | year = | mintime = | maxtime = | served = | main_ingredient = Fish, meat or vegetables | minor_ingredient = Vinegar, peppers and onions | variations = Brathering | serving_size = 100 g | calories = | calories_ref = | protein = | fat = | carbohydrate = | glycemic_index = | similar_dish = | cookbook = | other = | no_recipes = false }} __NOTOC__ [[File:Tilapiajf.JPG|thumb|Escabeche of tilapia, from the Philippines]]
'''Escabeche''' is the name for several dishes in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Filipino and Hispanic American cuisines, consisting of marinated fish, meat or vegetables, cooked or pickled in an acidic sauce (usually with vinegar), and flavored with paprika, citrus, and other spices.
In Spain and throughout the Americas, many variations exist, including frying the main ingredient before marinating it. ''Escabeche'' of seafood, fish, chicken, rabbit, pork, and vegetables are common in Spain, the Caribbean and Portugal. Eggplant ''escabeche'' is common in Argentina.
==Terminology== The Spanish and Portuguese word ''escabeche'' originates from Andalusi Arabic (spoken in Muslim Iberia) ''es-scabéŷ'' (السّْكَبِاجْ), ultimately rooted in Persian<ref>{{Cite web |last1=ASALE |first1=RAE-|last2=RAE |title=escabeche {{!}} Diccionario de la lengua española |url=https://dle.rae.es/escabeche |access-date=2020-12-07 |website=«Diccionario de la lengua española» - Edición del Tricentenario |language=es}}</ref> ''skebaj''/''sikbaj'' ({{Lang|fa|سكباج}}), the name of a popular meat dish cooked in a sweet-and-sour sauce, usually containing vinegar and honey or date molasses.<ref>''Medieval Arab Cookery'', Maxime Rodinson, A. J. Arberry, and Charles Perry. {{ISBN|0-907325-91-2}}.</ref> This technique spread throughout the former Portuguese and Spanish Empires and is particularly common in Latin America and the Philippines. [[File:Escoveitch fish Jamaica.jpg|thumb| Escoveitch (escabeche) fish, from Jamaica]] The dish, which was inherited from the Spanish and Portuguese during the colonial era,<ref name=":esja">{{cite news| date=2021-03-31|title=This Tangy Escovitch Fish Connects Jamaica to Its Spanish Past | author= Jessica Harris |url= https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tangy-escovitch-fish-connects-jamaica-182000667.html|website=Yahoo!| access-date=2025-01-06}}</ref> is known as ''escoveitch'' or ''escovitch'' fish in Jamaica.<ref name=":esja"/> Fish and other seafood like shrimp and lobster are marinated in a sauce of vinegar, onions, carrots, chayote, pimento, and Scotch bonnet peppers.<ref name=":esja"/> It is known as ''scapece'' or ''savoro'' in Italy, ''savoro'' in Greece (especially Ionian Islands), and ''scabetche'' in North Africa.
==Variations== Escabeche is common in Spain and has evolved with local modifications in the Spanish-speaking world. It is well represented in Portugal, frequently by the name ''molho à espanhola'' ("Spanish sauce"), usually spiced with peppercorns, chillies, peppers, onions, garlic and sliced carrots. The dish is popular in the Philippines and Guam, both former Spanish Viceroyalties, where it is similar to the original Spanish version, using locally available fish that is but respecting the original technique.
[[File:Plato de Escabeche.jpg|thumb|Pork escabeche from Bolivia]] In international versions like in Peru, ''escabeche'' is usually poached or fried, then served cold after marinating in a refrigerator overnight or longer. The acid in the marinade is usually vinegar but can include citrus juice (a common conservation technique—a pH of 4 or lower effectively prevents decomposition).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/escabeche-sweet-and-sour-fish-145803 |title=Escabeche (Sweet and Sour Fish) |publisher=Genius Kitchen |access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref> ''Escabeche'' is a popular presentation of canned or potted preserved fish, such as mackerel,<ref>Lagasse, Emeril. "33 Spanish Starters". ''33 Spanish Starters''. Food Network UK. Food Network, n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.</ref> tuna, bonito, or sardines.
Fish escabeche is also a Filipino cuisine version of sweet and sour fish. The dish is marinated in a fusion of ginger, vinegar-water, sugar, carrot, red bell pepper, ground pepper, and onion, and garnished with atchara.<ref>{{cite news |last1= |first1= |title=Fish Escabeche|url= https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/01/24/20/recipe-fish-escabeche|access-date=July 12, 2024 |publisher= ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs|date=January 24, 2024}}</ref> In José Rizal's July 1892 Dapitan exile, the letters in his novels mentioned fish escabeche as part of merienda cena, including tinolang manok, tsokolate, suman malagkit, tinagaktak, Leyte's salvero, and pan Bisaya.<ref>{{cite news |last1= |first1= |title='Tinolang manok,' fish 'escabeche,' 'suman malagkit,' 'tinagaktak'–Rizal's fare in Dapitan|url=https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/4529/‘tinolang-manok’-fish-‘escabeche’-‘suman-malagkit’-‘tinagaktak’–rizal’s-fare-in-dapitan/ |access-date=July 12, 2024 |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=June 30, 2011}}</ref>
In South Africa, a version of escabeche called either Kerrievis (curried fish) or Pickled Fish is made by the Cape Malay community. It's prepared by pickling hake, snoek or yellowtail, which had been previously battered and deep fried, in a curried sauce made with vinegar, sugar, onions, and Cape Malay spices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rainbowcooking.co.nz/recipes/cape-pickled-fish-kaapse-kerrievis|title=Cape pickled fish (Kaapse kerrievis)|website=Rainbowcooking.co.nz|access-date=May 23, 2026}}</ref>
==See also== *Arsik *Brathering, a German version *Ceviche, raw fish in an acidic marinade *Kelaguen *Nanbanzuke
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Filipino cuisine}} Category:Cuisine of Abruzzo Category:Mexican cuisine Category:Belizean cuisine Category:Bahamian cuisine Category:Filipino cuisine Category:Portuguese cuisine Category:Spanish cuisine Category:Fish dishes Category:Eggplant dishes Category:Cuisine of Guam Category:Jamaican cuisine Category:Chayote dishes