Notes of authentic chimichurri influence this herb sauce. Fried plantain chips are dipped into an herby sauce that mixes parsley and cilantro drizzled with lime coconut cream.
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The inspiration: For Christmas, we visited my family in Venice, FL. We went to a restaurant in Siesta Key that served fried plantain chips with a chimichurri sauce.
I specifically liked the smooth texture of the sauce (which is not traditional of chimichurri). I decided to develop my version, which I'm loosely calling chimichurri in this recipe.
Ingredients
- Plantain chips (store-bought or homemade)
Herby coconut cream sauce
- fresh cilantro stems removed
- fresh flat-leaf parsley stems removed
- shallot
- garlic cloves
- dried herbs de Provence or oregano.
- chili pepper, de-stemmed, seeds removed for less spiciness (Cayenne, serrano, Calabrian, or jalapeno)
- white wine vinegar
- olive oil
- coconut cream
- lime juice + zest
homemade plantain chips
- plantains
- grapeseed oil or other neutral, high smoke point oil.
- salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make the chimichurri dip
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. While the oven is warming, tightly wrap shallot, garlic cloves, herbs de provence, and a drizzle of olive oil in aluminum foil. Let them roast until soft, 20 - 30 minutes.
Add cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, chili pepper, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, roasted shallot, and garlic cloves in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while the food processor is running.
You want the consistency to be easily pourable, a bit runny—season with a large pinch of salt and pepper, and additional vinegar ½ tablespoon at a time, if needed. I used two tablespoons total.
Hint: You can chop the herbs as coarse or as finely as you like. Allow the food processor to run with just enough oil to make it move, then pulse in additional oil at the end to thin the consistency. I wanted my herbs to be completely pulverized.
In a separate bowl, spoon out a couple of tablespoons of coconut cream. Give the coconut cream a zing of lime with zest and juice. Whisk until smooth, adding more lime juice as needed. Season this mixture with a small pinch of salt. The coconut cream should be a thin consistency.
Hint: Keep the coconut cream in the fridge to keep it from separating.
Pour the chimichurri sauce into a serving bowl. Stir in some coconut cream, stopping just shy of the top. Then decoratively pour a thin stream of coconut cream into the herbs, so there is a distinct definition of white and green. Use the handle of a spoon to swirl it together.
Allow the sauce to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, then let it sit at room temperature before serving. Enjoy with plantain chips.
homemade fried plantain chips
I used store-bought plantain chips for this recipe (you can get them on amazon), or you can make them at home.
Fresh plantains come in varying ripeness: green, yellow, or black. Green being least ripe, startchy like potatoes while yellow is sweeter.
I used store-bought plantain chips for this recipe (you can get them on amazon) or make them at home.
Fresh plantains come in varying ripeness: green, yellow, or black. Green is least ripe, starchy like potatoes, while yellow is sweeter. You can read more about selecting plantain in this article by The Spruce Eats.
Start by removing the skin, then thinly slice the plantains longwise, about ⅛th inch thick. Use a mandoline to get even slices.
Set up your workstation by lining a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack and filling a deep cast-iron skillet halfway with oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F before adding the plantain slivers by the handful.
Remove the crisp, golden plantains with a slotted spoon onto the wire rack, then season with salt while they're hot. Don't crowd the pan, or the oil won't stay up to temperature.
Substitutions
- Vinegar - traditional chimichurri sauce uses red wine vinegar. You can swap out the white for red.
- coconut cream - Use creme fraiche, sour cream, Mexican crema, or plain yogurt in a pinch.
Variations
- Spicy - add another chili pepper to imbue heat into the dish.
- Herbs - Traditional chimichurri uses fresh parsley. For this recipe, you can use all parsley, cilantro, or a mixture of the two, as long as it's fresh.
Equipment
All you'll need for this recipe is a food processor or blender. I've had my eye on the Vitamix A-3500 for a while because you can purchase a separate food processor attachment.
Storage
Best if eaten within 24 hours.
Top tip
Allow the chimichurri sauce to sit in the fridge, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
Craving more?
Check out these recipes.
Plantain chips with creamy chimichurri inspired dip
Notes of authentic chimichurri influence this herb sauce. Fried plantain chips dipped into an herby sauce that mixes parsley and cilantro drizzled with lime coconut cream.
Ingredients
- Plantain chips (store-bought or homemade)
Herby coconut cream chimichurri
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed
- 1 large shallot, skins removed
- 3 - 4 whole garlic cloves, skins removed
- ½ teaspoon dried herbs de Provence or oregano.
- 1 chili pepper, de-stemmed, seeds removed for less spiciness (Cayenne, serrano, Calabrian, or jalapeno)
- 1 - 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- about ½ cup good quality olive oil
- 2 heaping tablespoons of coconut cream
- lime juice + zest
homemade plantain chips
- 2 plantains
- 2 cups, grapeseed oil or other neutral, high smoke point oil
- salt
Instructions
Creamy chimichurri inspired dip
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. While the oven is warming, tightly wrap shallot, garlic cloves, herbs de provence, and a drizzle of olive oil in aluminum foil. Let them roast until soft, 20 - 30 minutes.
- Add cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, chili pepper, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, roasted shallot, and garlic cloves in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while the food processor is running.
- You want the consistency to be easily pourable, a bit runny—season with a large pinch of salt and pepper, and additional vinegar ½ tablespoon at a time, if needed. I used two tablespoons total.
- In a separate bowl, spoon out a couple of tablespoons of coconut cream. Give the coconut cream a zing of lime with zest and juice. Whisk until smooth, adding more lime juice as needed. Season this mixture with a small pinch of salt. The coconut cream should be a thin consistency.
- Allow the sauce to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, then let it sit at room temperature before serving. Enjoy with plantain chips.
Plantain chips
- Start by removing the skin from green or yellow plantains, then thinly slice them longwise, about ⅛th inch thick. Use a mandoline to get even slices.
- Set up your workstation by lining a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack and filling a deep cast-iron skillet halfway with oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F before adding the plantain slivers by the handful.
- Remove the crisp, golden plantains with a slotted spoon onto the wire rack, then season with salt while they're hot. Don't crowd the pan, or the oil won't stay up to temperature.
Notes
You can chop the herbs as coarse or as finely as you like. Allow the food processor or blender to run with just enough oil to make it move, then pulse in additional oil at the end to thin the consistency. I wanted my herbs to be completely pulverized.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 978Total Fat: 96gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 81gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 1g
Nutrition facts are for personal reference only as calories may vary on a case by case basis.
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