Craig and Shaun McAnuff’s roasted plantain and chickpea salad with mango-lime dressing recipe

“Sweet roasted plantain slices tossed with fresh greens, juicy veggies and a zingy mango-lime dressing. Light, colourful and full of Caribbean sunshine. Dis one perfect as a side dish, or to enjoy as a healthy meal when yuh waan eat clean but still keep di flava,” says Original Flava’s Craig McAnuff.

Roasted plantain and chickpea salad with mango-lime dressing

Ingredients:
(Serves 4–6)

2 ripe plantains, peeled, then sliced into rounds
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained
1tbsp olive oil
100g rocket leaves or mixed salad leaves
½ cucumber, sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
400g cherry tomatoes, halved
Sea salt

For the dressing:
1 ripe mango, peeled, destoned and diced, or 350g frozen mango, defrosted
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 limes, plus extra to taste
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp honey or maple syrup, plus extra to taste
½ scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded (optional)

Method:

1.  Preheat your oven to 200°C Fan/220°C/Gas 7, or if cooking in the air fryer, proceed to the next step.

2.  In a bowl, toss the plantain slices and chickpeas with the olive oil and season with a pinch of salt.

3. Tip the plantain and chickpeas into an oven tray and roast for 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until the plantain is golden and caramelised and the chickpeas are crispy, or place the plantain slices in a single layer in the air-fryer basket and cook at 200°C for 7 minutes. Turn the slices and add the chickpeas, then continue cooking for a further 7–8 minutes until everything is golden brown.

4.  While the plantain and chickpeas are cooking, prepare the dressing. In a blender, add the mango, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, honey or maple syrup, scotch bonnet, if using, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust to your liking – add more lime juice for tang, or more honey or maple syrup for sweetness.

5. Assemble the salad by adding the rocket leaves or mixed salad leaves to a large serving bowl, then top with the cucumber, red onion and cherry tomatoes. Toss in your chickpeas and plantain slices. Drizzle over the dressing, toss gently, and serve right away.

Flava tip:
Keep any extra dressing in a jar for up to three days – it works perfectly on grilled chicken or fish or even in a quick wrap.

Original Flava, Easy Caribbean: 80 quick and easy recipes with feel-good flava by Craig and Shaun McAnuff is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced £25.  Photography by Matt Russell. Available now