These simple pan fried plantains are a great twist on your traditional side dish.
This might be the simplest “recipe” (I don’t feel right even calling it that) to ever be posted. And there’s 2 reasons for that.
1. As of Wednesday night at 5:35pm, I’m one handed for 2 weeks. I got a cortisone shot with a needle that was longer than the height of my wrist jabbed around into my tendons and a brace that completely immobilizes my left hand. I’m not typically bothered by needles. I get 4 allergy shots every month and I’m one of those people that has to watch the needle go in instead of turning the other way (I don’t like the surprise of the prick) BUT…when a needle longer than the area it’s going into is jammed into me, poked around and TOUCHES THE BONE so that you can hear the scraping of the needle on bone, I just about lost my shit on the exam table. Just typing this is making me shake again thinking about it. Soooo, my left hand (more specifically my left thumb) is out of commission while that does it’s thing and hopefully heals this stubborn tendonitis I’ve got going on. Cooking and the subsequent clean up are among the many things made about 500 times more difficult with only 50% of your opposable thumbs and no one else in the house to assist you. You should see me try to shower…
2. These are like a little slice of Latin heaven. The best plantains of my life were at a roadside Cuban shack in Miami where not a single person spoke English. I ordered for the 3 coworkers I was with who had never tried them before. We took one bite and they were so good that I decided my rusty Spanish skills needed to be dusted off in an attempt to ask them what they seasoned the plantains with. The answer was simple (which was good because that meant I could actually understand it)…salt & pepper. Ha. That’s how freakin’ good plantains are…they need no embellishment.
So I don’t care that I’m posting a recipe with all of 4 ingredients.
It needs to be out there, you need to make it and I might just end up eating them everyday for 2 weeks since it’s about all my 1 handed self can handle right now.
If you do have both hands at your disposal and want another way to enjoy plantains, this mofongo recipe is beyond delicious as a mashed side dish.
Simple Fried Plantains
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe plantains peeled & sliced on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick pieces
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or enough to coat the bottom of the pan
- kosher salt & pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
- Add plantain slices to hot oil and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt & pepper.
- Fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown and then flip.
- Sprinkle with more salt & pepper and fry another 1-2 minutes until golden brown on the other side.
- Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
- Serve warm with more salt.
Nutrition Facts
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
Gina Matsoukas is the writer, founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
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Cara
Wednesday 9th of January 2013
fried plantains are one of my favorite things about eating in a Mexican restaurant - no idea why I never tried them at home!
Heidi @ Food Doodles
Saturday 5th of January 2013
Confession... I've never had plantains. Eek, I feel like I should go hide. Is it weird that I'm embarrassed that I've never tried them? Probably because I know I should have tried them a long time ago. They look so good! I gotta get up the courage!