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Appetizers & Snacks

Bacalaítos (Puerto Rican–Style Salt Cod Fritters)

Seafood

Ingredients

Steps

Nutritional Information

Place cod in large bowl and cover with cold water. Chill 6 hours (or overnight), draining and replacing with fresh water every 2 hours.  

Drain cod. Place in medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook 25 minutes or until very tender. Drain cod and let stand to cool, then flake finely, discarding bones.

 Chop bell pepper, onions, and culantro finely. Combine cod, bell peppers, onions, culantro, oregano, sofrito, adobo seasoning, club soda, flour, and cornstarch in large bowl. Mix well and let stand 15 minutes.

Place oil in heavy-bottom stockpot (or Dutch oven) and heat to 350°F. Cut limes into wedges.

Ladle ¼-cup portions batter into oil in batches. Fry 2–3 minutes on each side until golden and crisp; drain on paper towels. Serve with lime wedges and mayo-ketchup.

Sweet plantains

Nutritional information

Roasted Corn and Plantain Salsa

Preheat oven to 425°F. Chop tomatoes, poblano, and chorizo coarsely; place in medium bowl.

Remove husks and silks from corn. Arrange corn on baking sheet and bake 12–17 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let stand 2–3 minutes to cool.

Meanwhile, microwave plantains following package instructions. Let stand until cool, then chop into small pieces and combine with tomato mixture.

Slice corn kernels off cobs (2–3 cups) and add to tomato mixture; stir in vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips, if using.

tray holding 7 sliders with golden-brown buns

Jackfruit

Vegetarian

Jackfruit Barbecue Sliders

Halve dinner rolls; chop cilantro finely (1/4 cup). Combine in bowl: cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Heat jackfruit following package instructions.

Build sliders by topping bottom halves of buns evenly with jackfruit, slaw, and top buns. Serve.

Instructions

Other preparation methods

Platanos Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains)

Peel plantains and cut into quarters. Preheat oil in medium saucepan on medium 2–3 minutes. 

Add 4 plantain quarters at a time; fry 4–5 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels; season with salt. 

Pork

Colombian-Style Chicharrónes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut pork belly into 1 1/2 inch slices, then score each slice's meat side with 3 evenly-spaced cuts, being careful not to go through the skin. Rub the pork with baking soda and salt (wash hands). Place in baking dish and toss with olive oil. Cover tightly with foil and bake 1 1/2–2 hours or until tender and 145°F. Refrigerate until chilled. 

Heat canola oil to 350°F in large, heavy saucepan. Fry pork belly (in batches) 5–7 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cut limes into wedges; serve fried pork with lime wedges. 

Colombian-Style Arepas

 Melt butter. Combine in large bowl: corn meal, salt, hot water, and 2 tablespoons melted butter; mix well. Let dough sit 2 minutes to hydrate. Form dough into 20 equal balls, then flatten each ball into a disc. 

Heat large, nonstick sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon each butter and oil to pan. Place 6–8 arepas in pan; cook 4–5 minutes on each side until lightly golden and cooked through. Repeat with remaining butter, oil, and arepa dough; serve warm. 

Hogao (Colombian-Style Salsa)

Slice onions thinly; chop tomatoes and garlic coarsely.

Heat oil in large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Chill until ready to serve.

Guava

Guava Pastelitos (Guava Pastries)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place puff pastry sheets out to soften. Cut guava into pieces and place in a medium saucepan with lemon juice and water; heat on medium. Cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until melted and combined. Remove from heat; set aside.

Line baking sheet with parchment. Unroll pastry sheets and cut each into 9 equal squares (18 squares total). Place 9 pastry squares on baking sheet and brush edges with egg substitute (about 1/4 cup). 

Spoon about 2 tablespoons guava mixture in center of 9 pastry squares, then top with remaining 9 pastry squares, pressing edges to crimp. Brush tops of pastries with remaining 1/4 cup egg substitute, then cut 3 slits on top of each pastry to vent.

Bake pastries 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F. Bake 18–20 minutes or until golden. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Green plantains

Tostones are twice-fried plantain slices commonly found in Latin American cuisine and Caribbean cuisine.

Tostones (Fried Plantains)

Peel plantains and cut into 1-inch-thick slices.

Preheat oil in heavy frying pan over medium heat 3–5 minutes. Fry plantain slices (in batches) 4–5 minutes until light golden. Flatten plantains to about 1/4-inch thickness using a rolling pin (or mallet). Fry flattened slices 4–5 minutes until golden yellow on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and cilantro (if using) and serve immediately, with mojo sauce on the side (if using).