Plantain, plantain, plantain. How I love thee. One of the things that makes plantain so great is how versatile it is. It can be fried, boiled, baked, or mashed. It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snack. It can be as sweet as a dessert or as savory as a potato pancake (without all of the carbs); it all depends on how ripe the plantain is or isn’t. This recipe (and I hesitate to call it a recipe because the plantain really does all of the work) is my favorite way to have plantain. To make sweet plantains, you want to make sure you pick plantains that are yellow with some black spots on them. The deeper the shade of the yellow and the more black spots there are on the peel, the sweeter the plantain will be. Now that you know how to pick the plantains, let’s get started.
Servings: 4 · Prep time: 5 minutes · Cook time: 10 minutes · Ready in: 15 minute
Ingredients
- 2, medium-sized ripe plantains
- canola or vegetable oil
Method
Take the plantains and cut off the tip at each end. Then slit the plantain peel down the middle and remove the peels from the plantains.
Slice the plantain into medium diagonal slices. Pro tip: I like to keep my slices fairly thin so that each slice is able to cook all the way through without burning. However, if you like a crispy exterior with a slightly mush interior, make your slices a little thicker.
In a large skillet, heat the canola or vegetable oil to a medium-high heat.
Place the plantain slices into the skillet. Allow them to fry on each side for about 2-3 minutes, depending on your desired crispiness.
Line a plate with paper towel and place the fried plantain slices on the paper towel. This will help absorb some of the excess oil.
Once all of the plantain has been fried and the excess oil absorbed, remove the paper towel from the plate, and enjoy.
