Patacones, tostones and green plantains. I did not grow up enjoying this fried little goodness. At first bite, you may think you are enjoying a fried potato, but with a much denser texture. A light sprinkle of salt and it’s difficult to eat just one. Add some savory shrimp, salsa and avocado to the mix and it becomes a dish you may find at a higher end Latin American restaurant. The ingredients are simple, but when layered together it can be special!
My first taste of green plantains!
I found myself in the middle of the food bloggers world surrounded by a whole wonderful group of Latina food bloggers from all over the continent. Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Costa Rica and of course the United States. See my blog post about Latin American Cuisine below!
Living La Vida Food Blogger!
Not la vida loca, but definitely very exciting at times! Fortunately, I have been able to travel to different cities throughout my food blogging career. One of the cities was Miami back in 2016. I enjoyed the most delicious Colombian, Cuban and Peruvian food I have ever tried. In previous years working on recipe development for the Hispanic Kitchen site, I experimented with fried green plantains and loved them!
Camarones al Ajillo! Click on the link to see full recipe!
If you prefer the sweeter version…
All you need to do is let the plantains ripen a few more days or until they turn yellow and become softer. You will not need to double fry for the sweeter version. Try pairing with my pork roasted in a garlic mojo! Delicious!
Patacones con Camaron
Explore some delicious flavors of Latin America with this shrimp and fried green plantain dish!
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Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Latin American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps. Olive oil
- 2 tbsps. unsalted butter
- 3/4 c diced white onion
- 1 minced serrano chile pepper
- 5 minced cloves of garlic
- 1 minced chile morita previously softened in hot water
- 2 diced Roma tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Ib. med-large shrimp previously cleaned and rinsed, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
- Juice of 1 large lemon or lime 2 tbsps. finely chopped cilantro
- 2 green plantains peeled and sliced open
- Oil for frying
Instructions
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At medium heat, in a skillet, add the olive oil and butter.
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Once butter melts, add the onion, serrano and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes.
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Add the morita. Sauté for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until the tomatoes soften and begin to release their juices. Add seasoned shrimp and cilantro. Stir well to combine. Cook just until the shrimp turns pink. Cover and remove from the heat.
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After you peel the plantains, slice them open to yield two halves. Fry them in preheated oil until light golden brown. Remove from the oil. Using a rolling pin, tostonera or tortilla press, gently flatten the plantains. Return them to the hot oil and fry until crispy and golden brown.
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Garnish the patacones with sliced avocado. Add shrimp, salsa(see notes) and fresh cilantro.
Notes
Cucumber Chiltepin Salsa
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp. Coarse salt
½ c peeled and diced English cucumber
1 ½ tbsps. dried chiltepin
Juice of 1 large lemon or lime 2 tsps. Extra Virgin Olive oil
I ground down all the ingredients in the molcajete, then mixed in the lemon juice and oil.
It was so refreshing over the shrimp!
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