In last week’s column I mentioned that among the things I make with green plantains is Arañitas. Several people wrote to ask more about it. Apart from that, I made some last weekend, shared with friends, and everyone wanted the recipe, so I thought that I would share with you how to make these crispy, crunchy plantain spiders as they are also known. On occasion they are also referred to as plantain cakes.
The origin of Arañitas lies in Puerto Rico, and as with so many dishes the world over, it was borne out of experiment, moments of what if, and making something different with what is available. I first wrote and shared with you about Arañitas over a decade ago in a column discussing other ways in which to fry plantains apart from crisps/chips or fries. The recipe I had gotten back then from a Puerto Rican Chef called for the shredded plantains to be soaked in salted water which would season the plantains. After the briny water bath, the plantains were wrung very dry in a tea towel. Two to 3 tablespoons of the plantains were pressed firmly together and shallow fried until lightly brown and crisp. They were absolutely delicious. However, since then I have changed up the way in which I make mine. Here’s why.