One of the most fun recipes from Puerto Rico is the delicious green plantain ants, a truly crispy fried treat typically enjoyed with the classic mayo-ketchup sauce. These ants are one of the many ways to enjoy plantains in Puerto Rico, one of the favorite ingredients in Latin American cuisine. They are the perfect substitute for traditional plantain tostones, and due to their flavor and distinctive shape, they are among the most ordered appetizers at restaurants on the island.
Ants are made with green plantain or 'mastuerzo' as it's known in some Latin American countries, and should not be confused with bananas. The fact that the plantain is very green gives the dish a savory rather than sweet flavor, making it easy for the texture to become very crispy and not overly greasy when prepared.
To prepare these typical Puerto Rican ants, the plantain is grated into long strips, seasoned, and shaped into small nests that are fried in hot oil until they reach the desired crispy and golden-brown consistency. The name "ants" comes from the shape that the compressed plantain takes, resembling an ant, but this has nothing to do with the flavor—it's extremely delicious.
In Puerto Rico, they are commonly eaten before meals as an appetizer and can be enjoyed with a flavorful garlic mojo, cilantro aioli, or the famous pink sauce made with mayonnaise, ketchup, and crushed garlic, often used to accompany plantain-based dishes.
