Bistec escabechado – escabeche steak
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Martin Morales' beautiful escabeche steak recipe is served on a bed of creamed corn. If you can't get your hands on chocolo corn, just use a little extra sweetcorn instead. This recipe is taken from Andina: The Heart of Peruvian Food by Martin Morales, published by Quadrille. Photography by David Loftus.
First published in 2017
The marinade in this recipe takes the steak to the next level. A post-workout favourite for our customers at Andina, this dish is lean and rich in protein, and with the creamy corn giving it a final, indulgent twist, it’s unforgettable.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Fillet steak
- 4 fillet steaks, (150g each)
- micro herbs, to garnish
Marinade
- 150ml of tamari, or gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 20ml of red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Amarillo chilli paste
- 2 aji amarillo chillies, or 2 medium-heat red chillies and 1/2 a yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Choclo corn cream
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 200g of sweetcorn
- 50g of choclo corn, or sweetcorn
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 120ml of full-fat milk
- 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
Escabeche
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 aji amarillo chilli, finely chopped, or 2 tbsp amarillo chilli paste
- 2 tbsp of Pisco, or vodka
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp yacon syrup, or caster sugar
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Blender
Method
1
First, make the marinade by mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the steaks to the bowl, coat, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 5 hours
2
Make the amarillo chilli paste by heating the oil in a small frying pan over a low–medium heat. Fry the onion for 7–8 minutes until soft, but not browned, then add the garlic and chilli and fry for 2–3 minutes more to soften
3
Season with salt to taste, then allow to cool completely. When cool, blitz to a smooth paste, then set aside until needed. (You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week)
4
To make the choclo corn cream, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 10 minutes until softened, then add 1/2 tbsp of the chilli paste
5
Cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes more, then add the sweetcorn, choclo (or additional sweetcorn) and cumin. Sauté for 1 minute, stirring, then add the milk and bring almost to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced by a third
6
Add the white wine vinegar, then use a stick blender to blitz to a rough purée. Set aside and keep warm
7
Next, make the escabeche. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the red onion and red pepper and sauté for 5–6 minutes until they have started to take on a little colour and are beginning to soften
8
Add the garlic and chilli or chilli paste and sauté for 2–3 minutes until the garlic has started to soften but not taken on any colour
9
Add the pisco or vodka, red wine vinegar and syrup or sugar and season. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced by at least half and is syrupy
10
Blot the steaks with kitchen paper and sprinkle each one with salt on both sides. Heat a griddle until it is too hot to hold your hand over, then sear for 1 minute on each side, then cook for a further 2–3 minutes for rare, 5 minutes for medium–rare and 6–7 minutes for medium, turning every 30 seconds or so
11
Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes
12
Slice the steaks and serve on individual serving plates on a bed of the choclo corn cream, with the escabeche on the side or over the top of the steak. Decorate with a few micro herbs
First published in 2017
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