Thin, Golden and Crisp, With a Green Herb Dip

When I was a boy in Guadeloupe, the best snack in the house was the one my mother made when the plantains were still too green to fry the soft, sweet way. She would take a hard green plantain, peel it in one long strip with the back of her knife, and slice it so thin you could see the light through it. Then into the hot oil, a handful at a time, and out again crackling, onto paper, with a pinch of salt.

We never waited for them to cool. Nobody does.

Plantain chips are one of the simplest things I know how to make, and one of the most popular. You only need a green plantain, oil and salt. The skill is all in two things: slicing thin, and frying hot. Get those right and you will never buy a packet again.

If you have read my guide to what plantain is, you know the green ones and the yellow ones are almost different foods. For chips you want them green. A green plantain is starchy and firm, like a potato, and it fries up crisp and savoury. A ripe yellow or black plantain is soft and sweet; it makes lovely fried plantain, but as a chip it goes chewy and burns before it crisps.

I serve mine with a cool green dip made with my Fresh Herbal Sauce and yoghurt. It has no chilli at all, so the children can dip as much as they like, and the salty crunch of the chip against the cold herbs is exactly right.

Below you will find the three ways to cook them: fried, baked and in the air fryer. Let me show you how I make them.

Recipe at a glance

• Cuisine: Caribbean
• Prep: 15 minutes • Cook: 15 minutes • Total: 30 minutes
• Serves: 4 as a snack
• Featured sauce: Fresh Herbal Sauce
• Heat level: 0/10, no chilli at all
• Diet: gluten free and vegetarian. Use a plant yoghurt in the dip and it is vegan too. The Herbal Sauce contains mustard and sulphites, so check the label on the jar if you are cooking for allergies

What you’ll need

Choose plantains that are green all over and hard when you press them. If they have started to turn yellow, keep them for frying the sweet way. A mandoline gives you the thinnest, most even slices, but a sharp knife and a steady hand will do.

For the chips

• 2 large green plantains
• Vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying (about 500ml in a deep pan, or 2 tbsp for baking and air frying)
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• Zest of half a lime (optional)

For the green herb dip

• 150g thick Greek yoghurt (or a thick plant yoghurt)
• 2 tbsp Fresh Herbal Sauce
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• Black pepper

How I make it

1. Peel the plantains. Cut off both ends. Run the tip of your knife along the length of the plantain, through the skin but not into the flesh, along two or three of its ridges. Push your thumb under the skin at one cut and peel it away in strips. Green plantain skin is stubborn; if it fights you, soak the plantains in warm water for 5 minutes first.

2. Slice them thin. Slice the plantains as thinly as you can, about 1 to 2mm. Round coins are classic; long diagonal slices give you bigger chips for dipping. If you use a mandoline, use the guard. Keep the slices even, so they cook at the same speed.

3. Make the dip. Stir together the yoghurt, the Fresh Herbal Sauce, the lime juice, the coriander and a grind of black pepper. Taste it before you add any salt. My Herbal Sauce is properly seasoned, so the dip usually needs none. Put it in the fridge while you cook.

4. To fry them (the crispest way). Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to 170 to 180°C. Without a thermometer, drop in one slice: it should sizzle straight away and rise to the top. Fry a handful at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes, moving them with a slotted spoon so they do not stick together, until they are pale gold and the bubbling slows down. Never fill the pan more than halfway, and never leave hot oil alone.

5. To bake them. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Toss the slices with 2 tablespoons of oil so every one is coated, then spread them out on two lined baking trays in a single layer, not touching. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning them halfway, until golden and crisp at the edges. Watch the last few minutes; thin slices go from golden to brown quickly.

6. To air fry them. Toss the slices with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook at 190°C in a single layer for 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the basket every 3 to 4 minutes, until golden. Do them in batches if your basket is small.

7. Salt them hot. As each batch comes out, tip the chips onto kitchen paper and sprinkle with flaky salt and a little lime zest straight away, while they are hot, so it sticks.

8. Let them crisp. Leave them for 2 minutes. They crisp up more as they cool. Then pile them into a bowl next to the dip, and get out of the way.

The role of Fresh Herbal Sauce in this dish

A plantain chip is salty, crunchy and a little starchy, like a good crisp. What it wants next to it is something cold, fresh and green.

My Fresh Herbal Sauce is made mostly from shallots, with basil, coriander, white wine vinegar, black pepper and a little French mustard. Stirred into thick yoghurt, the shallot gives the dip body, the herbs make it smell like a garden, the vinegar gives it a clean sharpness and the mustard a quiet warmth at the back. There is no chilli in it, so it is the dip for the whole table.

One thing to know: the sauce is generously salted, so it seasons the dip on its own. Taste before you reach for the salt.

Tips from my kitchen

Green, green, green. If the plantain has yellow patches, it has started to turn sweet, and the sugar makes the chips burn before they crisp. Save those for frying the soft way.

Thin and even beats everything. Thick slices stay chewy in the middle. If some slices come out thicker, fry them in their own batch for a little longer.

Hot oil, small batches. Too many slices at once drops the oil temperature, and the chips soak up oil instead of crisping. A handful at a time.

Why they go soggy. Either the slices were too thick, the oil was not hot enough, or they were covered while still warm. Cool them uncovered on paper.

Keeping them. Once completely cold, they keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight tin. If they soften, 5 minutes in a hot oven brings them back.

What to serve it with

Plantain chips are a snack on their own, but they also love company. Put them out with my Caribbean dipping sauce as a second, fruitier dip, or with my spicy mayo for the people who want heat.

For a party table, they go next to accras de morue, the salt cod fritters we serve at every celebration in Guadeloupe, and a jug of rum punch for the grown-ups. And if you want a little fire on the chips themselves, a few drops of Caribbean Hot Sauce on the hot chips is my own guilty pleasure.

FAQ

Are plantain chips healthy?

They are a fried snack, so they are a treat rather than a health food. Baked or air fried, they use much less oil than frying, and plantain itself gives you fibre and potassium. Home-made, you also control the salt and the oil, which you cannot do with a packet.

What do plantain chips taste like?

Green plantain chips taste savoury and nutty, a bit like a thick, crunchy potato crisp with a faint banana smell. Chips made from riper plantain are sweeter and softer.

Can I make plantain chips with ripe plantain?

You can, but they will be sweet, they will brown much faster and they will not get as crisp. Slice them a little thicker and fry them at the lower end of the temperature, around 170°C, watching them closely.

How do I peel a green plantain?

Cut off both ends, score the skin lengthways along two or three ridges without cutting into the flesh, then lift the skin away with your thumb. Soaking the plantain in warm water for a few minutes first makes the skin come away more easily.

Are plantain chips gluten free?

Yes. Plantain, oil and salt are naturally gluten free, and so is the dip as I make it here, Herbal Sauce included. If you buy plantain chips, check the packet, as some flavoured ones are not.

Final word from me

Plantain chips taught me something when I was small: the simplest food is the food people remember. One green plantain, hot oil and a pinch of salt, and the whole kitchen comes running.

Slice them thin, fry them hot, salt them straight away. And make more than you think you need. You will see.

JP