Alcapurrias — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Torpedo-shaped fritters made from a masa of green banana and yautia, stuffed with seasoned ground beef, and deep-fried until crispy.

Ingredients

6 green bananas, peeled
4 yautia roots, peeled
2 tbsp annatto oil
Salt to taste
For filling: 500g ground beef, sofrito, tomato sauce, sazon, olives, recao, salt

1 Grate green bananas and yautia finely or process in a food processor until smooth. Mix with annatto oil and salt to form masa.
2 For filling, brown ground beef with sofrito, tomato sauce, sazon, and olives. Cook until well-seasoned and slightly dry.
3 Place a sheet of parchment or banana leaf on a flat surface. Spread a thin layer of masa into an oval shape.
4 Place a spoonful of beef filling in the center. Fold the masa over to enclose the filling completely, forming a torpedo shape.
5 Heat oil to 350F. Carefully slide alcapurrias into hot oil and fry five minutes, turning once, until deeply golden.
6 Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with pique sauce for dipping.

Did You Know?

The best alcapurrias are found at beach-side kiosks called chinchorreos in Luquillo and Pinones, where they are fried to order in massive cauldrons.