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This super-easy siboyo tempera recipe for marinated onions is sure to become your summer go-to when looking for a delicious topping for grilled chicken, steak or seafood.
Why This Recipe Works
- Unlike other popular salsas such as chirmol or salsa verde, it requires no charring of vegetables, blending or peeling.
- Ready in minutes.
- Adds loads of flavour with no sharp onion taste.
- Colourful and easy to serve as it can be made in advance.
- It’s versatile! This authentic Aruban condiment works with many Caribbean and Mexican dishes. I love to serve it with coconut rice and red beans, Antiguan Chop-Up and this Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl.
- Very portable so makes a handy food for boating or picnics.
Siboyo Tempera is a Popular Side Dish and Condiment in Aruba
Made of slivered marinated onions and Madame Jeanette hot peppers (known as Madame Janette peppers in Aruba), this sauce is incredibly versatile. It offers the perfect combination of heat and sweetness that works with every dish from breakfast to late night snacks.
And best of all, it stays fresh in the fridge for several days! That’s assuming of course, it doesn’t disappear in one day it’s so good.
I first discovered this classic Aruban dish during a welcome dinner at Aruba Ocean Villas, a unique boutique hotel set in the fishing village of Savaneta. Its onsite restaurant is one of the best places for vegan food in Aruba.
It was a side dish tucked on the table without much fanfare beside our plates of keshi yena, a ground beef dish that’s also a traditional dish on Aruba.
Although I was momentarily distracted by the stunning sunset over the blue Caribbean water, it didn’t take long before I got to wondering what it was that the locals at our dinner table were spooning on their food with so much enthusiasm.
Siboyo Tempera – Onion Salsa Recipe from Aruba
Similar to escabeche, a traditional dish of Guatemala (and many other countries in Central America), siboyo tempera is made of marinated onions, vinegar and hot peppers.
It’s popular throughout the Dutch Caribbean. So you can find it served in Bonaire and at restaurants and beach bars in Curaçao, as well.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the cultivation of onions dates back more than 5,00 years and they’re very high in good-for-you antioxidants? Learn more fun facts about onions and why you should eat more of them!
The beauty of this dish is that the onions are soaked in water which reduces their bite. The heat is delivered by the slivers of Madame Jeanette pepper rather than jalapeños.
For those of you who think cilantro tastes like soap, you’ll be happy to hear that authentic siboyo tempera contains no cilantro.
Hot Peppers are Key to Authentic Siboyo Tempera
The Madame Jeanette pepper hails from Suriname and is the key ingredient in many West Indian salsas from the cuisines of Trinidad to Guyana.
Given how close Aruba is to South America it makes perfect sense that this pepper is popular in Aruba. Despite her dainty-sounding name, Madame Jeanette is a fiery hot pepper.
On the Scoville Pepper Index it clocks in between 200,000 to 300,000 heat units which puts in on par with habanero peppers.
But rather than being simply scorching hot, Madame Jeanette has a sweetness that makes it especially delicious.
Make sure you wear gloves when working with her.
Where to Try Siboyo Tempera in Aruba
This particular siboyo tempera recipe comes from Chef Annelotte Ellis, a talented Aruban chef who has built a stellar reputation on her innovative use of local ingredients, passion for Aruban culinary traditions and culinary skills.
If you have an opportunity to sample one of her dishes, you’re in for the experience of a lifetime.
You can also find siboyo tempera at Zeerovers, a popular seafood restaurant set right on the waterfront in Savaneta. Or, served as a topping on stobas (stews) and sopi (soups) at restaurants where locals eat in downtown Orangestad Aruba.
You’ll even find it served with burgers on Flamingo Island Aruba and many of Aruba’s beach bars.
Try this recipe for siboyo tempera this summer!
Easy Siboyo Tempera Aruba Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 5 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar or less to taste
- 2 large red or white onion
- 1 Madame Jeanette hot pepper or Scotch Bonnet
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and slice onions very thinly.
- Crush clove of garlic.
- Remove seeds and slice Madame Jeanette pepper crosswide ( wear gloves)
- Mix water, vinegar and sugar in saucepan and heat to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar.
- Remove water mixture from heat and pour into a glass bowl.
- Add sliced onions, garlic and hot pepper to water.
- Cool in refrigerator.
Notes
- Always wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers
- Use red or white Spanish onions (or a mixture of both) but not yellow onion as the flavour is too sharp.
- Yield 2 cups
Nutrition
More Aruba Travel and Food Inspiration
Aruba Tourism Authority: Get maps, travel advice and other valuable resources on the official Aruba Tourism Authority website. www.aruba.com
Interested in more delicious recipes, travel tips and information about things to do in Aruba? Check out these posts:
Beer and Balsamic Marinade for BBQ Steak
Arepa di Pampuna Recipe (Curaçao Pumpkin Pancakes)
6 Girlfriend Getaways You’ll Love
Diving into Dutch Tapas at Cafe 080 Restaurant Bar on Aruba
More Tasty Salsas and Condiments to Try
Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.
Read more about Michele Peterson.
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Javier
Muy rico
Catherine Fowler
I really enjoyed the article on Siboyo Tempera Aruba Recipe. Can you buy those peppers in Canada?
The Sea Ocean Villas look beautiful. Is the diving good around Aruba? I am looking forward to trying the recipe.
Michele Peterson
Thanks for visiting Cathy! I haven’t seen Madam Janette peppers in Canada but used Scotch Bonnet as a substitute and still enjoyed the recipe. The snorkelling is very good around Aruba — we saw many huge parrot fish — but I’m not sure about the diving. Bonaire is fantastic though and its quite nearby so I’m guessing it is should be good.
Pat. C.
Siboyo tempera Aruba sauce looks like a very easy way to add Aruba flavour to any boring bbq, I’d like to try it on fish. I haven’t made it to Aruba yet but the food and the villas both look great.
Culture Tripper
My son will really enjoy this sauce/condiment, I’ll try it the next time we grill. I’m sure I’ve seen the Madame Jeanette peppers here, thanks for posting the photo of them. Loved all your pics. Aruban cuisine looks enticing, as does that overwater bungalow!