Arañitas de Platanos literally translates to little plantain spiders. It’s called this because of the way the plantain looks after it has been grated. I first learned how to make these from a friend of mine in high school and until just this past weekend, I had completely forgotten about them. We grew up making “tostones”, which are twice fried plantains. My dad would make these weekly, usually on a Friday, with a simple protein like chicken or sometimes, just eggs. It’s a great starch for not a lot of money.

This past week I had bought some plantains because I really wanted to make tostones, however, I didn’t have the time to go through the entire process, so I decided to make arañitas. Of course, you can’t have anything plantain without Adobo seasoning blend. This is something that I think was put in everything we ate as kids. It was even the seasoning for our eggs or savory French toast on Saturday mornings. Not salt and pepper. Because I’m a purist, I decided to make my own seasoning blend, but if you prefer Adobo, by all means, season on.

Hope you enjoy them as much as my dad did!

 

 

 

 

 

Arañitas de Platanos (little plantain spiders) Recipe
Makes about 16, 4 per serving

Ingredients:
2 large green plantains
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
Coconut oil for pan frying

 

Directions:
1.Carefully peel the plantains by cutting of the ends and slicing the skin diagonally. Cut deep enough to use the tip of your knife to lift the skin off the plantain. Once you get an area of the skin lifted, use your hands to peel the rest of the skin off.

2. Using a grater, grate the plantain. I used the “thinnest” shredder on my grater for this.

3. Heat a skillet to medium heat with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Make sure the oil reaches about 350 degrees. This will ensure your frying goods to not soak up all the oil and give it a tasty crunch!

4. Mix all the spices together and add to the plantain shreds until well combined.

5. Form into little patties.

6. Fry until golden brown on both sides (2-4 minutes, depending on how hot the oil is. Don’t walk away!)

 

7. Have a plate with napkins ready for the arañitas once they come out. Hit with a touch of salt while hot, if desired.