Puerto Rican Mango Guacamole with Crispy Plantain Chips and Lime

Scoop the avocado flesh into a wide bowl and mash it with a fork, leaving the texture chunky rather than smooth so the guacamole still has body.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 large ripe avocados, halved and pitted
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1/2 small red onion, very finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large green plantains, peeled
• 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing the chips

Instructions

1. Scoop the avocado flesh into a wide bowl and mash it with a fork, leaving the texture chunky rather than smooth so the guacamole still has body.
2. Add the lime juice, salt and black pepper and fold them through immediately. The acid seasons the avocado and keeps the surface from browning while you prepare the rest.
3. Fold in the mango, red onion, bell pepper and cilantro with a light hand, stopping as soon as everything is distributed so the mango cubes stay intact.
4. Taste and adjust with more lime and salt, then press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors settle and the guacamole goes properly cold.
5. Slice the peeled plantains lengthwise on a mandoline or with a vegetable peeler into long ribbons about 2 mm thick, or crosswise into thin rounds if you prefer coins.
6. Heat the oil in a deep heavy pot to 175 C, using a thermometer rather than guessing, and set a wire rack over a tray next to the stove.
7. Fry the plantain ribbons in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them once, until they are golden and stiff. Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature and gives you limp chips, so work in batches of six or eight.
8. Lift the chips onto the rack and season them with flaky salt while they are still glossy with oil, then let them cool completely to crisp fully.
9. Serve the cold guacamole in a shallow bowl with the room-temperature chips piled alongside, and add lime wedges for anyone who wants more sharpness.
10. This is the island snack logic of Puerto Rico in miniature: green plantains fried into something sturdy enough to scoop, paired with something cold and bright to scoop up. Mango in guacamole is not a Mexican tradition but a Caribbean one, where the fruit is at its peak in July and its sweetness balances the salt of the chips. Fry the plantains up to a few hours ahead, keep them uncovered at room temperature, and the whole appetizer comes together in the time it takes to mash three avocados.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 395 kcal
• Protein: 4g
• Fat: 27g
• Carbohydrates: 38g
• Fiber: 9g
• Sugar: 12g
• Sodium: 420mg