Sweet and Salty Mashed Plantains

Irresistible sweet and salty caramelized fried plantains that will bring a Caribbean flavor to any meal.

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“I grew up eating Fried plantains. My mother moved my sister and I to Puerto Rico when I was 6 months old and we lived in Old San Juan for three years. My favorite breakfast has always been scrambled eggs, rice and fried plantains. I love the combination of the sweetness of the fruit with the salty burst of sea salt flakes. It is so satisfying! I hope you try them and make them part of your go to recipes. I do understand that frying is not something a lot of people want to do all the time. I have a table top fryer that makes it easy but you can make these in a sauté pan or small sauce pot just as easy.” Tara

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What ingredients do you need for sweet and salty mashed plantains?

• Vegetable Oil
• Ripe Plantain
• Sugar
• Maldon Sea Salt

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The Recipe

Cut the top and bottom off of your plantains first and then slice the length through the peal. Using your fingers carefully peel the skin off. Now slice them into one inch pieces.

Since we are going to fry them twice we want the temperature on the first fry to be about 350 degrees. You can set a table top fryer to 350 or use a thermometer. Get your oil hot and then fry the plantain in batches. You do not want to overcrowd the fryer so the temperature goes down too much. Fry them until a light golden brown and then drain on a paper towel. Next lay the plantains out and use a small jar or mallet to smash them down. Do not smash too hard, you do not want them to be really thin.

Turn the temperature up to 165 degrees and fry them again. Wait until they are crispy and drain again on paper towels. Sprinkle them with sugar and flakey sea salt.

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Recipe Tips:

• I like my plantations to be ripe. This means you want them to be yellow and have black spots. Not completely black so they are super ripe and mushy.
• You could sprinkle cumin or cayenne if you wanted a savory snack with a little heat.

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Make Ahead:

• Plantains are best served right away while they are still warm and soft on the inside. I find that they get a little solid when they get cold. You could microwave them to reheat but they are best when they are cooked fresh.

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Storing tips:

• Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Then reheat in the microwave.

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