Plantain Ceviche (Banana Salad)
Our jungle hike tour guide from the heart of the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica told us his favorite dish his wife makes from fresh green plantains.
A recipe from our dreams:
Green bananas, peeled, boiled, mixed with tomato pepper onion cilantro, ginger, lime
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Some internet variations:
Leche De Tigre Banana Ceviche
Ingredients
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup lime juice
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 lb. of white fish such as halibut, sea bass, mahimahi or ono (wahoo)
1 red pepper, finely chopped (brunoise)
½ cup green onion, minced
½ cup red onion, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
½ cup cilantro, chopped
Directions
1. Mix the lemon juice, lime juice, salt and coconut milk to create the leche de tigre.
2. Cut the fish into small cubes, about ½” thick.
3. In a small container, add the fish, red pepper and red onion. Mix with care.
4. Pour in the leche de tigre covering the fish mixture.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. The acidity from the citrus will cook the fish. The longer you leave the fish in the marinade, the more cooked it will be.
6. Drain the liquid.
7. Serve the fish mixture with the tomatoes, green onions and cilantro.
8. Add pomegranate or avocado for a more exotic feel. Make it Peruvian with some toasted corn ( cancha ) to give it a bit of crunchiness. Serving with steamed rice is also an option.
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INGREDIENTES
4 bananas of the earth
1 unit small red onion
1/2 finger pepper
1 cup of Galician Lemon Juice
1/2 cup of orange juice
20 g of freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup almond milk tea
1/4 pack of cilantro
salt to taste
10 ml olive oil
METHOD OF PREPARATION
Cut the bananas into small cubes and in a bowl season with salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Cut the onions in julienne and place in the bowl with the banana. Add the orange juice, the seedless brunoise pepper and the ginger juice. Reserve.
Add olive oil and chopped coriander leaves to the marinade, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Add the almond milk when you take the mixture out of the fridge, set the salt and serve ice cream!
Chef's Tip: Only
add coconut milk to serve so as not to whittle.
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Ingredients
1 plantain
1/3 red onion
Juice of one Sicilian lemon
1/2 tea spoon of pepperoni flakes
1/4 cup of parsley
Salt to taste
How to
I swear I could just write chopp and mix for it’s basically it, but, for the sake of this blog existence, I’ll be more specific.
Dice the plantain. You can do it as big (or small) as you wish, but I cut it in half and then each half in two and made my dices from that shared half of the fruit
Chop the onions finely
In a bowl mix the plantain and the onions and season it with the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix it all together and leave the marinade work its magic for about 10 minutes.
Before serving add the chopped parsley for some freshness, and it’s more than ready!
* Yes, you can do cilantro instead of parsley if you like it, of course. And you can chop some fresh chilly peppers (mind the seeds for they’re super strong). I did the dried flakes because I love it, it’s easier and it prevents me from having hot pepper all over my hands (I always tend to rub my eyes with the hands still “contaminated”, so, be careful).
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Ingredients
2 green plantains
4 cups water
1 small purple onion, very thinly sliced
2 minced garlic cloves
2 multicolored peppers, cut into small cubes (a combination of colors: red, green, orange or yellow)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons apple cider or rice vinegar
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel the plantains. Place the water in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, add the plantains and cook for about 20 minutes. They shouldn’t be too soft. When they’re al dente, drain and cut into small cubes. Let slightly cool.
In a large bowl, combine the plantains, onion, garlic, peppers, cilantro, vinegar, and lemon and orange juices. Season with salt and pepper. The liquid should cover all the ingredients. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve in glasses or glass ice cream bowls.
