Authentic Puerto Rican Mofongo con Camarones (Mashed Garlicky Green Plantains with Garlic Butter Shrimp)
Crisp-fried green plantains pounded in a wooden pilón with roasted garlic, pork chicharrón, and olive oil, shaped into a savory dome filled with succulent garlic butter shrimp in Creole broth.
History & Origins
Afro-Taíno Boricua Heritage
Evolving directly from the West African fufu brought by enslaved peoples to the Caribbean, Mofongo was transformed through Puerto Rican Taíno wood-carved mortars (pilón) and Spanish pork lard seasoning into an iconic national treasure.
Ingredients
Green Plantain Mash & Sautéed Shrimp Base
- •4 large Green unripe plantains (plátanos verdes), peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
- •1 lb Large raw shrimp (camarones), peeled and deveined
- •1/2 cup Crispy pork cracklings (chicharrón / pork rinds), roughly crushed
- •8 cloves Fresh garlic, mashed into a paste with coarse salt (mojo)
- •1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil combined with 2 tbsp melted butter
- •1 cup Hot savory chicken or seafood stock for moisture adjustments
Finishing, Garnishes & Chef’s Additions
- •1/2 cup Salsa Criolla (Puerto Rican Creole tomato, sofrito, and sweet pepper sauce)
- •2 tbsp Fresh cilantro (recao) leaves, finely chopped
- •1 cup Scratch caldo de pollo (clear chicken broth) served alongside in a small cup
- •1 whole Lime cut into wedges for a bright finishing squeeze
Step-by-Step Instructions
PREPARATION & METHOD
Heat neutral oil in a deep skillet to 350°F (175°C). Fry plantain slices in batches for 8-10 minutes until pale golden and cooked through to the center without browning deeply. Drain on paper towels.
In a wooden pilón mortar, crush garlic cloves with coarse sea salt and olive oil into mojo paste. Add hot fried plantains in small batches along with crispy pork chicharrón. Pound rhythmically into a cohesive, chunky textured mash.
Press seasoned plantain mash against the walls of the pilón (or small bowl) to create a hollow crater dome; invert onto a plate. In a pan, sear shrimp in butter, garlic, and sofrito for 3 minutes until pink and bathed in flavorful pan juices.
Fill the center of the warm plantain dome with sautéed shrimp and Creole sauce. Garnish with fresh recao/cilantro and serve with a ramekin of warm broth and lime wedges.
Beverage Pairing
Medalla Light Beer / Puerto Rican Piña Colada
An ice-cold Medalla lager cuts through pungent raw garlic and rich chicharrón fat, while a classic rum Piña Colada echoes tropical Caribbean notes.
Culinary Science Insight
Resistant Starch Conversion & Lipid Structural Binding
Green plantains are loaded with unripened resistant starches that gelatinize during shallow frying; pounding while hot with chicharrón fat traps air and binds starch chains without becoming gummy.