
Jamaican Escovitch Pickle Sauce Recipe – Quick and Easy!
In Jamaica, escovitch pickle is the most popular seafood sauce, especially at Easter time. It’s loved by seafood lovers and pepper lovers alike because it is easy to make, flavourful, and versatile.
Today I’ll share my simple Escovitch Pickle recipe, but before I do, I must warn you. Escovitch pickle isn’t for the faint of heart. The scorching scotch bonnet peppers in this pickle recipe are so intense I’ve heard it makes even grown men cry. But then, who wouldn’t cry tears of joy while enjoying a meal smothered in a deliciously rich burst of spices? lol. Seriously though, when you combine the beautiful heat of scotch bonnet peppers with pimento and onions, along with the tangy ‘kick’ of vinegar, you get an exotic and aromatic blend of flavours that spice lovers crave and devour.
Now get ready to take your meals to a scorchingly delicious new level with my homemade Escovitch Pickle Recipe below. Enjoy Escovitch pickle with jerk chicken or pork, stew beef, canned fish, or even vegetables.
Some like it HOT!
Caribbean people love pepper, with every island having its own version of ‘pickled’ sauce. One thing’s for sure, Jamaican Escovitch Pickle Sauce tastes best loaded with the hottest scotch bonnet peppers, and set aside to marinate which intensifies the flavours even more. This love of pepper seems crazy to some, but hot spice and the Caribbean go hand in hand. The key to this escovitch pickle sauce is knowing how to use just enough to accent the dish and not overpower it.
Good Mood Seafood
If you’ve been to Jamaica and have never tried fried fish with Escovitch Pickle from a seaside restaurant, us Jamaicans would say “part ah yuh life gone!” That simply means that you’re missing out on an amazing food experience! In fact, any seafood dish drenched with escovitch pickle takes the taste to a whole other level. Try it on your lobster, shrimp or crab dishes and discover the spicy difference.
Fried fish served with escovitch pickle sauce is also a ‘must-have’ meal at Easter time in the Caribbean. Growing up, enjoying escovitch fish every Good Friday through to Easter Monday was a common family tradition. Families celebrating Easter would have their fill of escovitch fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner if possible. So, whether we had fried snapper, sprat or kingfish, a drizzle of escovitch pickle added the right amount of spice to our fish dish.
Simply the Best
Jamaican Escovitch pickle sauce is so simple to prepare you’ll make it every time you’re craving some spicy tangy heat in your dishes. You can prepare escovitch pickle two ways – cooked or uncooked. How you choose to prepare it is up to you, but my recipe of choice is the uncooked version (Jamaican Hellshire Beach Style). On the other hand, the cooked version has its benefits. Cooking pickle is great when you want maximum flavour released from your spices in the shortest time. You can then pour the hot pickle sauce over your fried fish and enjoy it immediately.Pickle Prep & Things to ‘Nose’
If you plan on cooking your pickle, here’s how it’s done. Prepare ‘cooked pickle’ by lightly sautéing the vegetables in cooking oil before adding the vinegar. However, please ensure that your kitchen is properly ventilated. Always keep in mind that cooking any recipe filled with lots of onions and pepper seeds can seriously irritate your eyes and nose, so take proper pre-caution.
If you plan to make and store a large quantity of pickle, have a sealable jar ready. In this case, a Mason jar will come in handy. However, you can use any other sealable glass bottle recycled from your cupboard. I usually store my bottled pickle in the refrigerator, which makes it marinate and become more potent over time. The vinegar helps to preserve your sauce by letting your spices ‘pickle’. You’ll find that your pickle lasts for months whether in or out your refrigerator.
How to make Delicious Jamaican Escovitch Fry Fish
People say a picture, or better yet, a video is worth a thousand words, so I’ve made a video for my Jamaican Escovitch Fry Fish Recipe for you! Enjoy my step-by-step video, that shows you how to perfectly season, and fry fish at home. You’ll also see how I make a tantalizing Jamaican Escovitch Pickle Sauce to drizzle over fried fish to deliver a delicious seafood experience. I can’t wait for you to try these authentic Jamaican recipes, made with love from my home to yours!

Jamaican Escovitch Pickle Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups vinegar white
- 6-8 large scotch bonnet peppers chopped
- 1 large onion cut into rings
- ½ carrot julienned
- 1 doz pimento seeds
Instructions
- Prep then add all the ingredients to a sealable jar.
- Drizzle the pickle saice over fried fish, fried chicken, pork or dish of your choice.
- Please note: The flavour of the escovitch pickle sauce develops to spicy perfection over time. Seal the jar and let the pickle marinate for at least 1 hour, to allow the flavours to intensify and get the best results.
- Refrigerate any leftover pickle to preserve it for months.
- Remember to bring the pickle to room temperature or to heat it slighly before serving it, once it's refridgerated.
- Would you love a step-by-step video to see how I prepare my Jamaican Escovitch Pickle Sauce and fry my fish to juicy perfection? Well, I've gone ahead and placed a link to that recipe video in the notes below.
- Bless up & enjoy it!!
- Please remember to come back & leave a 5-Star Rating and Review once you've tried my recipe. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank You! xoxo
Notes
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You need to add at least 1 1/2 cups of water to this. The vinegar is too strong by itself.
Hi Shauna, thanks for your feedback. However, I prefer to use undiluted vinegar in my recipe to get a rich flavour and to preserve the onions, carrots, and peppers for a long time. If diluting the vinegar is your preference then by all means do so.
If refrigerated, How long can this last in a container that is not glass?
Hi Mi mi, good question. Your escovitch pickle once refrigerated will last 3-4 months. My recommendation is to use undiluted vinegar and store it in an airtight container