Bistec escabechado – escabeche steak
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.
Ingredients
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
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
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Bistec escabechado – escabeche steak
