Classic Jamaican Escovitch Sauce A Topping For Fried Chicken?

When you think escovitch sauce one things comes to mind.. a seasoned snapper, fried until crisp like it done in Jamaica and topped with this spicy sauce with the kick from scotch bonnet peppers. But today not only will I show how simple it is to make this classic Jamaican escovitch sauce, but we’ll top some juicy pieces of fried chicken with it.

This idea came to me from Karen Nicole Smith a close friend and colleague who convinced me that the only way to give basic fried chicken (even the ones you get at the grocery store) a wicked Caribbean kick, is with this Jamaican style escovitch sauce!

You’ll Need…

6-8 Pimento berries (allspice)
1/2 cup bell peppers
1 large onion
1 cup carrot
2 scotch bonnet peppers
pinch sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 white cup vinegar

Here’s the demo video I did making the escovitch sauce….

Basically all you have to do is prep the scotch pepper and vegetables as I did in the picture above (julienne) and add it all to a pan on medium heat. As it comes to a boil reduce to a gentle simmer for 3 minutes and enjoy! Do remember to wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers, wash your hands immediately after with soap and water and do NOT include the seeds of the scotch bonnet if you’re concerned about the raw heat.

If you can’t source scotch bonnet peppers, you can use habanero or bird’s eye peppers with great success. The goal is to use a very hot or spicy pepper as classic Jamaican escovitch sauce is infamous for being very deadly with heat!  You can store the remaining sauce (more like a pickle) in a glass container in the fridge for future use. Quick note: The white sugar is my personal touch for balancing the vinegar taste you get.. not my fav thing.