Patacones and Matbucha
The perfect recipe to bring people together — Caribbean plantain fritters with a Moroccan tomato sauce.
Patacones, or twice-fried plantain fritters, find a new culinary companion in the rich, complex flavours of matbucha sauce. Perfect as a starter or a side, this dish brings together the tropical essence of plantains with the depth of Mediterranean spices. The matbucha is a Moroccan and North African cooked tomato and pepper relish — one of those sauces that improves with time and fills the kitchen with something that smells like patience made edible.
Together they make no historical sense and complete culinary sense. This is the kind of recipe that only happens when two traditions find themselves in the same kitchen — which, in my experience, is the most interesting place for cooking to happen.
- 1.1 kgripe plum tomatoes
- 2red bell peppersdeseeded
- 120 mlolive oil
- 5garlic cloves
- 2 tspsweet Moroccan or Spanish paprika
- 2½ tspkosher salt
- 1 tspAleppo pepper or red pepper flakescrushed
- 3unripe green plantains1 per person
- 480 mlvegetable oilsunflower, canola, or avocado
- —kosher saltto taste
As featured on
Aish ↗Score the base of the tomatoes with a shallow X and blanch in boiling water for 1–2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of iced water. Peel, halve, scoop out the seeds, and coarsely chop. Set aside.
Char the red peppers over an open flame or under a hot grill until the skins have softened and darkened. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film for 8–12 minutes, then peel, halve, deseed, and dice. Blend the tomatoes and peppers in a food processor to a chunky consistency.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with the olive oil. Fry the garlic for 1–2 minutes. Add the blended tomato-pepper mixture and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and add paprika, salt, and pepper flakes. Simmer for 25–30 minutes until the liquid has fully reduced. Set aside garnished with extra pepper flakes.
Peel the plantains: slice off the ends, make a lengthwise cut along the skin, and remove. Cut into thick rounds — straight or diagonal. The wider the slice, the bigger the patacón.
Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Fry the plantain slices until they turn yellow but have not yet browned. Remove and flatten each piece carefully with a potato masher or meat mallet.
Return the flattened plantains to the oil and fry again until golden brown and crisp, about 1–2 minutes per side. Season immediately with salt. Serve hot with the matbucha alongside.
They must be green and firm to achieve the crisp patacón texture. Overripe or yellow plantains will be too sweet and soft — they will not hold together when flattened.
Both elements can be made separately. The matbucha develops more flavour after a day in the fridge and holds for up to a week. Make a large batch.
The recipe calls for olive oil. A lighter vegetable oil can substitute if you prefer a more neutral background flavour, which lets the tomato and paprika come forward more clearly.