Even if the school calendar doesn’t rule my life anymore, March has a way of yelling Spring Break! at me like Kitty from Arrested Development. While Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime that you have to make for yourself at home might not be quite the same as time off, warm and tropical travel, and lots of spicy food in local restaurants, they satisfy that urge, at least for a night. This year, try though I did for some warm weather, the cold and the rain seemed to follow me wherever I went, so I had to create the island feel at home with Latin snacks and drinks. I made homemade Empanadas with Sweet Potato, Beans and Goat Cheese and these Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime (which I actually created for my Thanksgiving 2013 menu), and served them piping hot with a cool drink, in this case, my awesome Passion Fruit Batidas. But they’d be great with homemade Piña Coladas too. Part of the fun is that they’re an unexpected appetizer. Your guests will have just as much fun as you do trying new things and these Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime will fit that bill. You can mostly make them ahead of time and just rewarm them in the oven right before you serve them. Sweet and Salty Plantains with Lime are best served piping hot.
- 1 ½ - 2 cups vegetable or canola oil
- 2 green plantains
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- zest of two limes
- thermometer (for oil)
- In a vessel, add warm water (2-4 cups) and 1 teaspoon each salt and granulated sugar. I like to leave it in the sink, to keep the mess to a minimum. Peel plantains (see notes for tips on this) and slice crosswise into ½ inch pieces.
- In a small, heavy (better for even heating) deep pot (I like this setup because I can use less oil), heat oil to 325° F.
- Carefully add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 2 minutes.
- With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the plantains and place in the sugar salt water and let soak for a minute or two (they’ll plump up and absorb some seasoning).
- Remove to a colander to drain.
(If you’re making more than one batch, fry the next batch while these dry. Once they’ve drained in the colander for a minute, transfer to a sheet pan and dry of excess water). 
(This is for safety sake- water and oil don’t mix, so if you’re talking water and hot oil, you get explosive splatter). - Bring oil back up to 325° F and return plantains to pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 3- 4 minutes.
- Toss in the salt sugar lime mix.
- Serve immediately.
- Two plantains is perfect for a small party, but I often make these for big groups too, and then make 8 or so. The good part is that you won’t need much more oil or sugar salt mixture even when you scale up to include more plantains. And if you are making lots of batches, complete each step in its entirety before moving on to the next step i.e. do all the initial frying. Dry all, then begin second frying. Plantains are harder to peel than bananas, since they’re tougher and green, so you may need to use a paring knife and make shallow slits in the skin.
- Make Ahead: If you’re going to make them ahead, and reheat for a party, complete through both of the frying steps and then set aside. When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350° F and warm them for 5-10 minutes. Then toss in the sugar mix. I like to heat small batches at a time because they’re best served warm.
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Greetings! I’ve been reading your web site for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Houston Texas!
Just wanted to mention keep up the great job!