Try plantains instead of potatoes! Plantains are low in fat, and high in vitamins A, C, and B6.
Plantain fries make a great side for tacos, and they’re amazing on top of refried beans. Tossed with cilantro and crumbly, salty cotija cheese, these plantain fries are like a slightly healthier version of the garlic-parmesan fries we know and love.
Time to talk plantains!
Plantains originated in southeast Asia and grow in tropical, coastal areas. If you’ve never tried this starchy, bread-like fruit, you’re missing out! They’re a staple food in Central and South America, West and East Africa, the Caribbean, and obviously in many parts of Southeast Asia. More often than not, plantains are treated as a vegetable instead of as a fruit. Find them at your local supermarket or Latin American grocery store, if there’s one near you.
They take a long time to ripen, and go from light green, to yellow, to brown, and finally to black, and develop a slight sweetness and softness as they age. They’re fully ripe and ready to be cooked for most preparations when they turn brown/black, but for these plantain fries we’re going with slightly unripe plantains. Look for those that are green to greenish-yellow. These are a bit less sweet and hold up to a good frying.
Here’s some tips and tricks for these plantain fries.
Typically, I’d go for plantains that are brown or black in color, but like I mentioned above, we’re going with the green to green-yellow plantains for this recipe. To prepare them into fries, slice off the top and bottom tips of the plantain. Lightly score it lengthwise. Take care not to go too deep and slice into the plantain itself! From here on out, they’re easy to peel.
You’ll cut them in half crosswise, then slice each half into fry-esque sticks about 1/4-inch thick. Feel free to cut them into thinner, shoestring fries if you like. Just keep a closer eye on them when frying as they’ll take less time to crisp up. I let mine cool slightly on some paper towels, which soaked up some extra oil.
To check if your oil is ready for frying, heat on medium-high for at least 5 minutes, then drop some breadcrumbs into the oil. If they sink to the bottom, your oil isn’t hot enough, but if they burn up and turn black immediately, it’s too hot. Go from there! Alternatively, an old kitchen trick is to dip the end of a wooden utensil into the oil. If the oil starts bubbling steadily and gently, your oil is ready for frying. If the oil bubbles aggressively, it’s too hot – make adjustments. Whatever you do, please don’t crowd the pan while frying! Overcrowding leads to a drastic temperature drop and will result in oily plantain fries.
Toss your plantain fries with the finely chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese.
Top with extra salt if desired, but keep in mind that the cotija is quite salty itself! Whip up the quick chipotle crema listed in the recipe, or serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Cotija is perfect in this recipe. I live in southern California, and it’s common to see this crumbly, salty cheese everywhere you look. It’s an aged Mexican cow’s milk, and amazing on top of just about everything. Like a mix between Parmesan and feta cheese, at least in my head. You can typically find cotija in the refrigerated Mexican/Latin American section of your grocery store. It’ll come in a big chunk, and while you’re only going to need about 2 tbsp for this recipe, you’ll likely find a million other uses for it.
I like cotija on top of tacos, enchiladas, refried beans, eggs, or wherever I want a sprinkle of something cheesy and salty. It doesn’t melt well (it softens instead, then turns a bit hard) so stick to sprinkling this on top of your favorite Mexican foods.
Variations
- To make this vegan, omit the cotija cheese topping, or use nutritional yeast instead! Replace the sour cream in the crema with vegan sour cream.