Plantain is delicious and versatile. You can make just about anything with it like these quick baked plantain fries. This recipe is quick and delicious.
Recipe video:
Being raised in the Caribbean, meant that I grew up eating plantains regularly. With every single meal there was a side of plantains. Of course I had to start coming up with ways to cook plantains differently. So I’m sharing this Quick Baked Plantain Fries with you guys.
Apart from being one of my favorite things to eat, plantains are very versatile. I grew up eating them fried and boiled but you can even go further and turn them into gratin, fries or mash them. So to honor its versatility, I wanted to turn them into fries.
Although this isn’t the first plantain fries recipe, I still wanted to share my take on this recipe. Some recipes out there use green plantains to make sure it’s crispy, but I went a different route by using ripe ones.
Clearly using green plantains will give you the crispiness you can find in regular fries. But I wanted to have that sweet taste you get when you eat ripe plantains. However, I still wanted to aim for some crisp. So to get a crispy texture, a not so ripe plantain was perfect.
What is a “not so ripe” plantain?
Basically, the term “not so ripe” means that your plantain isn’t ripe nor unripe.
Obviously, a ripe plantain is fully ripe and is a bright yellow color, with some streaks of black. Once it’s bright yellow with some black streaks, you know it’s sweet and is ready to fry. Contrary to an unripe plantain which is very green and firm, you can still cook but you will need to boil it and you can also fry it but will be firmer. Lastly, a not so ripe plantain is in between ripe and unripe. When your plantain is starting to turn yellow and has some streaks on green on it, then it’s perfect for this recipe.
Getting the fries real crispy
In order to get the right crispiness, I had to bake my fries at a high temperature. I baked the fries at 200°C/400°F so they could basically dry out. To get that nice crisp you have to dry them out by baking them at a high heat and by not adding too much oil.
Too much oil can result in the fries being soppy and too soft.
I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Now, let’s get into it.
Quick Baked Plantain Fries
Ingredients
- 4 large Plantains
- 4 tbsp Olive oil or Vegetable oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper then set aside.
Prepping the plantains:
- Cut the ends of the plantains.
- Slice the plantain skin vertically without touching the flesh, then peel off the skin.
- Cut the plantains into fries.
Making the fries:
- Add the fries to a bowl and season with salt, black pepper and oil.
- Mix everything together then spread unto the baking tray.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Other plantain recipes you may enjoy:
Homemade Coconut Plantain Cake
