Arañitas

Arañitas (little spiders) are fritters made from shredded plantains.  Use a mostly green plantain or, like mine, your little spiders won’t have any legs.  Still delicious, though!

Grate the peeled plantain into long strips. This one is over-ripe for this recipe, so its more mushy than it should be.  So, do as I say, not as I did.

Form the shreds into a little patty, roughly the size and shape of a silver dollar.  Carefully drop them into hot oil (I’m using peanut oil, taking care to keep it below the smoking point), turning them once with a slotted spoon.

Transfer to a paper napkin-lined plate to drain.  Immediately season with lots of s&p and serve hot as an accompaniment to your favorite Cuban dish.

These can be made a day or 2 ahead and reheated in a 350 degree oven if needed, but they are best eaten shortly after frying.

See How to Select a Plantain for a quick description of what to do with plantains at varying stages of ripeness