Easy Fried Plantains Recipe

Plantains are a confusing fruit ... or are they a vegetable? This banana look-alike is technically a fruit. Unlike the banana it so closely resembles, though, the plantain tends to be used in more vegetable-like ways and is primarily a component of savory dishes. Although it looks almost exactly like a banana, the plantain has a very different flavor and isn't nearly as sweet. We could call it a "fruitable," or we could just call it delicious — especially when it's fried.

As recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge quite succinctly puts it, "Fried plantain is so good!" She says that this dish evokes childhood memories for her and calls it "a sentimental thing," explaining, "This is a side I had growing up and still have now." If you're unfamiliar with the flavor of plantains, she describes them as both meaty and carby, saying they're "a bit like sweet potato, but more starchy."

The most important ingredient is, of course, plantains. You can buy these at a number of more mainstream supermarkets, and they are also readily available at Asian and Hispanic grocers. When you're looking for plantains, Olayinka advises buying ripe ones. "[These are] not completely green, not completely yellow either. Yellow slightly going black is the best," she says.

There's just one more thing you'll need to make these fried plantains, and that's some cooking oil to fry them in. Nothing fancy needed here — Olayinka uses vegetable oil.

You'll first need to peel the plantains before you can cook them, of course. Plantains aren't quite as easy to peel as bananas. Olayinka says that the best method involves slicing off the ends, then scoring the skin in the middle of the fruit and peeling the skin back from there.

Once the plantains are peeled, slice them on the diagonal into pieces ½ inch–thick pieces. Sprinkle the plantain pieces with ¼ teaspoon of salt. While Olayinka prefers salting plantains before cooking "as the plantains are stickier [when they're] raw," she says.

Pour the vegetable oil into a frying pan, and heat it over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot (shimmering, but not yet starting to smoke), add the plantain pieces to the oil. Olayinka says, "They burn very fast, so it is better to cook them low and slow." Cook them for about seven minutes on one side, then turn them over to cook for another seven minutes on the other side. Olayinka again advises, "Be careful not to burn the plantains," but says to "ensure that they are golden brown when you flip them over."

Once the plantains are done, use a spatula or slotted spoon to remove them from the oil, and let them drain on a paper towel to remove the excess oil. If desired, you can sprinkle them with additional salt. Olayinka says that if you're serving fried plantains as a side, "[This dish] pairs wonderfully with rice, especially rice and peas and curry goat or jollof rice and chicken."

You could also enjoy your fried plantains all by themselves as a snack — perhaps with guacamole, or you could try them with curry ketchup, salsa, or any other flavorful condiment of your choice.

• Cuban-Style Picadillo Tacos Recipe
• Slow-Roasted Puerto Rican Pernil Recipe
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings Recipe
• Baked Jamaican Beef Patty Recipe

Our fried plantains recipe opts for a simple, no-fuss approach — a little salt, then straight into the oil. This preparation lines up with many West African preparations, such as the Nigerian dodo. In Ghana, the dish is referred to as kwelewele and finds the plantains marinated in grated onion, ginger, nutmeg, and hot peppers. Chefs in the Dominican Republic often coat the plantains in a sugary, warmly spiced glaze after frying to make a sweet side dish for spicy main courses.

More common than adding seasoning to the plantains themselves, though, is to dip them in something with each bite. Peruvians dip the sweet snack in a spicy chile sauce, such as ají amarillo. The Puerto Rican presentation of tostones fries the less-ripe green plantains and serves them with a garlic sauce or a jalapeño-cilantro sauce — these would mesh with these riper plantains, too. And, going back to Nigeria, the simple dodo can be amplified with a hot red pepper chutney.

• Simple Roasted Sweet Plantain Recipe
• Torta de Plátano (Cheesy Plantain Casserole) Recipe
• Deep-Fried Bananas Recipe
• Warm Spiced Southern Fried Apples Recipe
• Grilled Nectarine Salad Recipe
• Grilled Watermelon Salad Recipe