Plantains with Mango Salsa

Have you ever eaten a plantain? If you've visited the Caribbean you've probably at least sampled them or you could have had them at your local Cuban restaurant. More than likely you've had plantain chips from your grocer, they come in as many flavors as do potato chips. By their appearance you can easily guess that they are a member of the banana family.

Don't try to peel and eat these! They are starchy, low in sugar and must be cooked before they are consumed. Normally fried or baked, the plantain is used as a vegetable rather than as a fruit like a banana. I love plantains and today I thought I would show you how I cook and serve them.

Just like a banana, a plantain tastes different according to how ripe it is — when green to yellow it will taste bland and starchy. As it ripens, the plantain will have more of a sweeter flavor — but not as sweet as a banana. The moister content of a banana is higher than that of a plantain, so the process that converts starches to sugar (hydrolysis) makes them ready to eat when the skin is yellow. This process is slower in plantains because they have a lower moisture contest, so the skin must be speckled or almost black before they are ready to be cooked.

On this day, I was looking for a bland plantain to go with my meal, so I selected one that was lightly speckled. Slice lengthwise through the thick skin on each of four sides and then remove the peel. I cut the plantain in half crosswise and then cut each half lengthwise into about 1/4-inch thick slices.

Heat enough canola oil to 350 degrees so that it comes about halfway up your slices of plantain — about 1/8th of an inch. Put slices in pan so that sides don't touch and fry about 2–3 minutes on each side, until they turn a nice golden brown. They cook quickly, so I don't recommend trying to photograph them as they cook. :)

Use a slotted spatula, so that the oil will drain as you move them to a plate. Do not put them on paper towels as they will stick. Serve immediately! I always have the rest of my meal prepared before I start frying my plantains.

For this meal, I served them with roasted garlic chicken breasts, rice, and black beans.

Isn't my rice pretty? This is what I use to season my rice:

Sazon (seasoning) is a combination of herbs and spices that carries Latino and Caribbean flavors. I put this in in a pot with two cups boiling water, one cup long grain rice, one can Rotel tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes; remove from heat and let sit, covered for five more minutes. Use the mild or original Rotel tomatoes, the hot is too HOT for this recipe, I found this out the hard way.

I serve this meal with my favorite salsa — Chachies Mango and Peach. The flavors are perfect with this meal, but you can substitute with your favorite.

There you have it, one of my favorite meals and so very Caribbean. So, go tropical and look for plantains in your local market.

Before you go off to visit other fabulous Foodie Friday participants with Michael @ Designs By Gollum, I wanted to let you know that this will be my last entry for a few months. I am moving to Georgia on April 1st and Sister and I are busy separating and packing our combined household. Who gets what? Well, Sister is taking the couch, chair and coffee table. Me? I'm taking the stove, of course! I love my stove and I know I will need it to prepare more recipes to share with you. I'm going to be sharing more tropical recipes, picnic specialties and foods for camping once I get settled into my new home. Until then, I will still be blogging, I will still be visiting your blogs, but preparing meals will be limited to quick and easy — think can opener, frozen, instant and delivery!

Aloha for now my foodie friends!