Fried Green Plantains with Avocado Black Bean Salsa

 

Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon

1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large avocado, diced

1 cup (about 175 grams) diced papaya, mango, or pineapple

1 cup (250 grams) cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

 

3 firm green plantains

Vegetable oil, for frying

Salt

 

Whisk the lime juice, garlic, olive oil, cilantro, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Put the avocado, papaya, and black beans in a larger bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss with half of the dressing. Taste for seasoning and set aside. Cut off the ends of each plantain so that a small amount of the inner vegetable is exposed. From here, there are many ways to remove the skin. You might be able to peel it with your fingertips, first making a slit from top to the bottom and opening the plantain from the side. You might find it easier to remove the skin in neat sections if you make a few slits down the side. Or, if you have a tough one, you might just use a sharp knife to pare the peel away. If any green skin remains, scrape it off with your knife. Cut each plantain into six to eight 1-inch pieces. Heat 1 inch of oil in a medium-sized heavy skillet over medium-high heat to 325 degrees. If you don’t have the right kind of thermometer, I find plantains forgiving of inexact frying temperatures. As long as they’re not taking more than 5 minutes in the first frying, or not blackening before 2 minutes, you’re probably in a good-enough range.  Add about one plantain’s worth of pieces to the oil, and cook, turning as needed, until they are just a little bit darker in color and hollow sounding when lifted from the oil and tapped, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain them on a large paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining plantains in two batches. Using a heavy skillet or the underside of a can, press down on the still-hot fried plantain chunks until they make 2-to-3-inch flattish discs. Return these to the frying pan a handful at a time, and fry until lightly bronzed, about 1 minute more per side. Drain again, and immediately season with salt. Serve the warm plantains with the salad, with the extra dressing on the side to drizzle over the plantains.