Chile Poblano en Escabeche con Atun

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Poblanos en escabeche are pickled poblano peppers commonly served during the Lenten season; the season that Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays. This is why this recipe selects tuna, sardines or smoked marlin for the filling. However, these are as delicious filled with beef, pork or chicken picadillos (hashes of meat and vegetables).

Why pickled? Poblanos are of mild flavor so pickling boosts the flavor in a tangy way. This recipe is a good choice for a summer meal. An array of published recipes specify a wide range of pickling time; from a minimum of 2 hours to 3 days. I pickled mine overnight. The recipes I reviewed call for the use of white onions but I chose to use red onion simply for presentation purposes. This recipe also works without pickling. Let’s get started.

Ingredients

Makes 3-large poblanos

Peppers

4 poblano medium size peppers, roasted and seeded and peeled

1 bay leaf

½ red onion sliced semi-circles

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup water

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Salt

Tuna filling

1 large lemon, zest peeled and cut julienne

1 tablespoon canola oil

1-12 oz can white albacore tuna in water, drained

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

⅓ cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 cup red onion chopped in small cubes

1 large avocado cut in cubes

Lemon juice from the peeled lemon

Preparation

Escabeche

Roast, seed and peel the poblanos per instructions in this link, Poblano Chiles Roasted.

In a glass or plastic container with sides add the vinegar and water and salt to taste. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf, onions and poblanos. Cover the container and refrigerate overnight.

Fry the cut lemon zest slices in canola oil until the edges are slightly brown. Cool, chop and set the zest aside.

Tuna stuffing

Place the tuna in a bowl and break loose the pieces into uniform size. Add the cilantro, chopped red onion and mix in the olive oil. Salt to taste. Fold in the avocado and lemon juice.