Plantacos

Story time! At one point I decided that I wanted to be vegan, and one day I had absolutely nothing to eat. I was at my uncle’s restaurant and the only thing without meat was plantains. On this day, Plantacos were born. The recipe became a top seller when I sold food from home, and I had all the non-vegans hooked. It is flavorful, crispy, juicy, spicy and sweet. This recipe is a hit for a plant-based taco Tuesday that will wow your meat-eating friends.

In Jamaica, fried plantain is served with so many things and I grew up eating and loving them my entire life. For this recipe they are the best at the point where they are about to be overripe.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Course Snack

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2

Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients

Veggie Slaw

Plantacos
¼ Cup Shredded carrot
¼ Tbsp Red bell pepper
¼ Red Onion

Spicy Mayo

½ Cup Vegenaise
¼ Lime
½ Tsp Cayenne pepper

Pico De Gallo

1 Tomato
¼ Jalapeño
¼ Tbsp Diced red onion
¼ Tbsp Cilantro bunch
1 Lime
¼ Orange

3 Over ripe plantains
Small flour tortillas
Oil for frying

Instructions

For the veggie slaw, julienne romaine lettuce into fine shreds. Thinly julienne the sweet peppers and onions then set aside.
Next, dice the tomatoes and red onion. Chop up cilantro and finely dice Jalapeño. Squeeze lime and orange, then add salt. Mix the ingredients and place into the fridge until serving time.
In a mixing bowl, mix Vegenaise (vegan mayo), lime, cayenne, and paprika. Place into the fridge until serving time.
Heat the frying pan and cover the bottom with oil to fry the plantains. Peel the plantains and cut them on a bias (1/4-inch diagonals) with the plantain facing you as a smiley face.
Once the oil is ready, fry plantains until dark brown then rest on a plate on top of a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Now fry taco shells to give them a slightly crispy exterior. Fry each side for no more than 15 seconds on medium high heat.
We’ll make our tacos with a base of spicy mayo then add the plantains. Add the veggie slaw, then the pico de gallo and slap it with spicy mayo.

Notes

In terms of presentation, having a squeeze bottle to drizzle the spicy mayo is ideal but if you don’t have one a dollop with a spoon works just fine.

Whenever I fry the taco shells, sometimes they form an air pocket and that’s my indication that it’s browning so from there I’ll flip it. If it doesn’t just use tongs and check if it’s ready. The oil should be hot already from frying the plantains which is why it shouldn’t need more than 15 seconds on each side.

Keyword Berry, Quick & Easy, Smoothie