Fried Plantains

I'll let you in on a little secret - up until yesterday, I had never deep-fried anything in my entire life. Truth be told, I was always a little scared of it. It seems like it would be easy to accidentally deep fry your fingers along with the food, and I like my fingers just how they are, thank you very much.

But the other day at the store, I saw a bunch of fresh plantains.

I can put aside my fear of deep-frying for delicious, delicious plantains. Have you ever had them before? If the answer is "no," you are seriously missing out! Plantains are relatives of the banana, and in fact look very much like oversized, thick-skinned bananas. They are more starchy, however, and taste kind of like a cross between a potato and a banana. Or something like that.

Plantains are actually a staple food in much of Africa and other regions where they fruit year-round. This makes them a reliable source of food, and while they are prepared in many different ways, including steaming, boiling, stewing, baking, and grilling, the most delicious preparation is, of course, deep frying!

So I decided to buck up and make me some plantains, deep-frying fear be darned. And, my dear friends, what did I learn? Two things:

One: Deep-frying is actually not that scary.

Two: Plantains are even more delicious than I remembered!

If you're feeling a little adventurous, go find yourself a couple of these yummy fruits, and let me show you how to fry yourself up a tasty snack! (And we'll avoid frying your fingers in the process.)

This is a no-measure recipe. Don't you love recipes like that? First step: get some plantains. I used two, and it made the perfect amount for six people as an appetizer. I could probably eat them all by myself though!

You want to get plantains that still have some green on them (or are totally green). The more yellow they are, the sweeter and softer they are. It's really a matter of preference, but if you've never made them before I would start by choosing a plantain that is just in the middle of green and yellow. Not too ripe, not too hard.

Peel them just like you would a banana. It might be a little more difficult, since the skins are thicker and tougher, so I find that using a knife to cut some slits is a big help.

Slice the plantains into 1/3 inch slices, a little on the bias (that means at a slant).

Why 1/3 an inch? It seems pretty precise, doesn't it? It just seems to be the perfect thickness for frying plantains. However, if you want really crispy ones I would cut them a little thinner.

Got your pile of plantain slices? Perfect! Now get a large frying pan and put in 1/2 to 1 inch of vegetable or canola oil. Turn on the heat and let the oil warm up. You don't want to add your plantains until the oil is hot, or else they will just soak up the oil and not fry very well.

In order to test if the oil is hot enough, take some tongs and carefully dip the edge of one plantain slice in. If it starts bubbling, the oil is ready. If not, remove and wait a little longer.

Once the oil is hot, put some slices into the pan. Don't crowd the pan, but leave a little space in between each one.

My secret deep-frying weapon? Tongs. They let you put the food in, flip it over, and take it out, all without letting your fingers get too close to the burning hot oil. Pretty nifty, huh?

After about 2 minutes, you can flip them over. They should be golden brown, so if they aren't quite ready, flip them back over and wait a little bit longer. You can see in the picture above that the four slices in the center have been flipped over. See the toasty brown? That's exactly what we're going for here.

Once both sides are nice and browned, remove them and place them on a plate lined with paper towels. That helps soak up any excess oil so that the plantains aren't greasy.

Sprinkle a little sea salt or Kosher salt onto the slices while they are still warm. If you wait until they are cool, the salt won't stick, so take a break before you fry the next batch to salt your freshly fried plantains. Or enlist a helper, like I did!

That's it! Fried plantains are probably one of the easiest things you'll ever make, and one of the most delicious. The insides are soft and warm, and the outsides are crispy and salty. Perfect!

Fried Plantains

Plantains (green or semi-green)
Vegetable or Canola oil
Sea salt or Kosher salt

Peel the plantains and slice into 1/3" thick slices on the bias. Heat up about an inch of oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, fry plantains in batches, about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt while still hot.

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