Tasty Tuesday: Plantains

Being from Texas we always had fried bananas, I married a girl that spent a lot of time in South Florida. There are a lot of Caribbean influences in that part of the country so I was introduced to Fried Plantains. I will admit I prefer the sweet ones but the savory ones are pretty good too!! The key to this recipe is making sure that the Plantains are ripe, and when I say ripe I mean black and pretty soft. If the market has them and they are green put them in a brown bag and put on top of the fridge for about 1 week. DO NOT FREEZE THEM!!

3 Ripe Plantains

2 cups of Canola Oil

Frying Pan

1/2 cup of salt (for savory)

1 cup of sugar and a couple pinches of cinnamon (for sweet)

Heat oil to 350 degrees.

Peel and cut plantains on a bias (angle) soak in water with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.

Remove Plantains from water and pat dry (do not put into oil wet, I do not think I need to explain why!!!)

Place plantains a couple at a time and cook until golden brown on one side then flip them over to brown the other side (be careful, oil might splash).

Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to drain.

While they are still hot sprinkle with salt, or toss in cinnamon sugar. (The key is while they are hot. This will allow the salt or sugar to stick).

Serve warm or at room temperature. With your favorite Caribbean Dish. Some of those recipes will follow in the coming weeks.

Salute and be well