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Culture Kitchen 102 Food Images

Source: Culture Kitchen / CLEO TV

It’s all in the seasoning: Chef Bren teaches us how to build a delicious Puerto Rican-inspired mofongo.

Ingredients

  • 4 green/mid-ripened plantains, peeled
  • Kosher salt for seasoning
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 head of garlic divided, roughly chopped
  • 1 1⁄4 cup melted butter, divided
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 4-6 chicharon pieces
  • 1⁄2 Spanish onion, roughly chopped
  • 1⁄2 mini orange bell pepper, small dice
  • 1⁄2 mini red bell pepper, small dice
  • 2 tablespoons culantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons curly parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1⁄2 pound large shrimp, tail on
  • 4 lobster tail, poached and cut into large pieces
  • White pepper for seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • .
  • For Serving
  • Hot sauce
  • Lime wedges
  • Sliced Florida avocado
  • Plantain chips

Instructions

Boil plantains in salted water for 30 minutes or until plantains are cooked thoroughly and drain when done. Cool slightly. In a large mortar and pestle mash the boiled plantains until mostly smooth and set aside. In the meantime heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and lightly saute half of the garlic. Make sure not to burn. Pour the garlic mixture into the mashed mofongo and mix in. Season with nutmeg and pour 1⁄4 cup of melted butter to continue softening the plantain. Add the chicharon pieces and mash into the mofongo mixture. Adjust for salt. In a large skillet over medium high heat melt the remaining butter. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Then add the peppers and cook until lightly browned. Reduce the heat to medium and then add in the remaining garlic and cook for an additional 1 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and lobster cooking until the shrimp turns pink. Add in the fresh herbs, salt to taste, and white pepper. Stir everything to combine. Then add in a small splash of white vinegar. Remove from heat while still allowing vinegar to evaporate. Butter the inside of your mold. Mold (pack in) the plantain mash in a dome shaped bowl about the size of your hands cupped together. Flip the dome over onto a plate or shallow bowl and create a small divot on the top for the sauce to sit in. Pour or smother the Seafood Delight over top and enjoy with hot sauce, fresh lime juice, avocado, and plantain chips if desired! ¡Buen Provecho!