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This is an unedited blog post from the archives.
After traveling through Central America you will undoubtedly fall in love with one of the many traditional dishes you will find along your journey. From the fried red snapper in Panama to the gallo pinto in Costa Rica, you are sure to desire these dishes far after your departure from Central America. One of my favorite dishes throughout Central America was plantains, cooked either salty or sweet. Below you will find a recipe for both types of plantains so that you can enjoy this tasty treat long after your journey ends.
Salty Plantains
Often referred to as ‘platacones’ and served with ketchup, these are my favorite of the two most popular plantain dishes. I was taught how to make this dish in Panama and have made it in every country we visited in Central America.
Ingredients:
- Two large, unripe green plantains
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- Salt
Instructions:
- Peel the plantain by cutting down the side, through the skin then use your nails to separate the skin from the fruit.
- Cut the plantain in even 1” thick cylinders
- Heat the vegetable oil in a standard size skillet on medium heat.
- Put the cut up plantain pieces into the oil, cooking them until they turn golden yellow on both sides.
- Place the golden plantains on a plate covered in paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Place the golden plantain pieces on a sheet of foil or wax paper before smashing them with a spatula to become flat circular shaped golden circles.
- Repeat steps 4 & 5.
- Add salt to taste.
Sweet Plantains
This is my husband’s favorite plantain dish, often referred to as ‘plantain maduro’. I learned to make these in Nicaragua and hope you enjoy this simple restaurant to add a little variety to your meals.
Ingredients:
- Two large, ripe blackened plantains (let the plantain get so ripe it becomes black and squishy, but not too black its spoiled)
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
Instructions:
- Peel the plantain by cutting down the side, through the skin then use your nails to separate the skin from the fruit. This will be much easier on ripened plantains as opposed to green, unripe ones.
- Cut the plantain in diagonal slices about 1” thick.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a standard size skillet on medium heat.
- Put the cut up plantain pieces into the oil, cooking them until they turn golden brown on both sides.
- Place the golden plantains on a plate covered in wax paper or paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Be sure to take them off quickly if you use paper towel or the paper will stick to the plantains.
