Plantain & Sweet Potato Rosti with Crab Salad & Hot Pepper Avocado
From Ainsley’s Taste of the Bahamas, ITV
Bahamians love to start the day with a hearty breakfast of fish or seafood – dishes such as stewed fish and tuna and grits with sides of plantain and avocado for freshness. I’m using crab, another Bahamian favourite, to top my spiced plantain rosti in this tasty brunch dish. The zesty salad is inspired by the flavours of a local conch salad and you can adjust the chilli according to taste or add some diced mango for a tropical twist. I like to use ripe plantain for the rosti – I love the sweetness with the zingy crab and fiery chilli, but you can use green plantain if preferred, just add a little beaten egg to bind if needed.
Method
In a bowl mix together the crab, onion, tomatoes, pepper, chilli, coriander, lime juice and zest. Add a squeeze of orange juice to taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until needed.
Meanwhile put the avocado, garlic, mayo, lime juice and 1 tbsp cold water in a small food processor and blend until smooth. Add hot sauce and seasoning to taste. Cover and chill until needed.
Grate the sweet potato into a large bowl. Top and tail the plantain, peel and grate into the same bowl. Add the lime juice and mix to avoid oxidisation. Add the ginger, allspice, chilli and thyme. Season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the flour and mix together. If needed (especially when using green plantain) stir in some of the egg to bind – you’re not looking for a batter but a slightly sticky mix.
Heat a drizzle of oil and a little knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, fry in batches – place spoonfuls of the mix into the hot pan, flatten down and shape with the back of a metal spatula/spoon into thin rosti. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy, golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the rosti topped with crab salad and a spoonful or two of the creamy avocado.
Ingredients
- For the Crab Salad
- 275g (lump) white crab meat
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1-2 ripe vine tomato, deseeded, finely diced
- ½ green or red pepper, deseeded, finely diced
- ¼-½ scotch bonnet, goat or habanero chilli pepper, deseeded, finely chopped
- handful of coriander leaves, chopped
- juice and zest of ½ lime
- ½ small orange, for squeezing
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
- For the Hot Pepper Avocado
- 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and destoned
- 1 small clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- juice of ½ lime
- Caribbean hot pepper sauce, to taste
- For the Rosti
- 1 large (approx. 280-300g), sweet potato, peeled
- 1 large ripe (or green) plantain
- juice of ½ lime
- 3cm fresh ginger, grated
- ½ tsp allspice
- ¼-½ scotch bonnet or habanero chilli pepper, deseeded, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (1/2 tsp dried)
- 2-3 tbsp plain or gram flour
- 1 egg, beaten (optional - if and as needed)
- oil and butter, for shallow frying, as needed