Long diagonal slices of very ripe plantain fried until their edges caramelize crisp and their centers turn soft and honey-sweet. An everyday Venezuelan side that completes pabellón criollo and pairs with almost any meat or bean.
A staple Venezuelan accompaniment ('tajada' means slice) and a defining component of the national dish pabellón criollo (Travel Food Atlas; The Cookware Geek).
The edges shatter into caramelized crisp while the middle stays soft, jammy, and intensely sweet. There is a gentle savory-salt counterpoint and a deep banana-toffee aroma from the browning. Alongside black beans and beef, it is the sweet, sticky note that ties the whole plate together.
As ripe plantains heat in oil, their abundant natural sugars caramelize on the surface for crisp, browned edges while the starchy interior softens and turns sweet. Using fully ripe fruit is essential, since green plantains lack the sugar to caramelize and stay starchy.
Variations
Sprinkled with grated white cheese, baked instead of fried, or made into savory tostones from green plantains; when a fried egg is added on top of a pabellón it becomes the 'a caballo' ('on horseback') version
On the Palate
Where Tajadas Venezolanas sits in the Venezuelan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 8 min
- 11 min
Choose plantains that are very ripe, mostly yellow-black and soft to the touch.
Watch outUse plantains that are mostly black and give when pressed — only that ripe sugar caramelizes sweet; a firm yellow one stays starchy and won't brown.
- 23 min
Peel them and slice lengthwise on the diagonal into long strips about 1 cm thick.
- 32 min
Heat a shallow layer of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- 41 min
Lay the slices in the hot oil in a single layer without crowding.
- 52 min
Fry until the underside is deep golden, then flip carefully.
Watch outFlip only once the underside is deep amber — moving them too early tears the soft slices and you lose the caramelized crust.
- 62 min
Fry the second side until both edges are caramelized and crisp.
Watch outFry the second side to caramelized edges too, but pull before the sugars go past brown into bitter char.
- 71 min
Lift onto paper towels to drain excess oil.
- 81 min
Sprinkle with a little salt or grated white cheese and serve warm.
