Breadfruit Fries (Air Fryer)

Hey breadfruit lovers, you have got to try these delicious air fryer breadfruit fries. They are crispy, tasty, lightly seasoned and highly addictive. These island style fries are definitely a must try recipe!

I haven't dropped a breadfruit recipe in what feels like forever, breadfruit in these neck of the woods isn't cheap at all.

Infact breadfruit is very expensive albeit worth the money if you know when to buy it and what you are after, nothing beats some Roasted Breadfruit.

The local Caribbean grocery store has them in abundance right now so I ended up buying a total of 2.

One breadfruit for trial and error (yes, I know! It's my job!) and the other was for my family to have Breadfruit Pie.

Breadfruit makes the tastiest fries in my humble opinion and are a great island style alternative to McDonalds French fries.

The plan was to cut the breadfruit into the shape of fries BUT, after trying this, there was too much waste from trimming off the rounded edges to make perfect cut fries.

Because breadfruit is so expensive and I refuse for any to go to waste we are now working with small slices rather then the traditional rectangular shape.

**For the benefit of this recipe post, I'm going to refer to them as fries or slices interchangeably.**

You get the French fried influence by way of the Caribbean. They are super easy to make, I do recommend parboiling the fries before frying them in your air fryer first.

The seasoning used is very light, I used my jamaican curry powder, mixed with oil and a few other additional spices and herbs for flavour and colour.

What is breadfruit?

To keep things brief, breadfruit is a large prickly oval to oblong shaped fruit. The fruit derives from the mulberry and jackfruit family.

As the crops matures and ripens it goes from having bright green bumpy skin, to a more smooth yellowish/dark green mottled smooth skin.

The flesh is more of an off white slightly yellow colour.

The crop that grows in the Caribbean is closely related to the Breadnut which is a seeded version.

Although breadfruit is eaten throughout the Caribbean, Central America and certain parts of South American it is not native to the region.

Infact, contrary to popular belief breafruit was cultivated in May Archipelago (New Guinea, Phillipines etc..) and then spread through out Oceania.

It was Captain Bligh who, at the time, that introduced this crop to the slaves in the Caribbean islands. He thought that breadfruit would be a cheap source of high energy food for them.

Breadfruit nutrition

In terms of breadfruits nutritional content it is majority carbohydrate which means it is starch enriched and a good source of energy/fuel for the body.

Its fat content is virtually non existant which is great for anyone who is avoiding dietary staples with a hight fat content.

It does have high levels of magnesium, calcium and fibre. More fibre than potatoes and pasta so this is a win for promoting healthy bowel movements.

Magnesium and calcium support healthy teeth and bones. It does have other nutritional value such as potassium, vitamin B and C but I wanted to highlight the highest nutritional content.

What does breadfruit taste like?

I honestly think breadfruit has it's own unique taste, you either like it or love it. Some people say the aroma, when cooked, reminds them of freshly baked bread.

While others say the texture and taste, reminds them of potatoes. I would say its more in line with the potato theory than the bread one.

I think the texture is close to potato when soft but it doesn't taste of potato, maybe a small percentage but it's not a 1:1 replica in my humble opinion.

How do you eat breadfruit?

You can pickle it, roast it, fry it, bake it...the list is endless! it is such a versatile fruit, the list is endless!

The most popular thing that is done in the islands is to roast breadfruit openly on a flame.

This is my favourite cooking method, but you see this method is more popular in the Caribbean/Polynesia than you would find in the disapora.

You can serve breadfruit as mash with saltfish/poultry/vegetables or with an assortment of ground provisions on the side or in soup.

Some islands like Puerto Rico use it to make sweets, pancakes and dessert like flans so this list is endless in terms of what you can do with it.

Breadfruit vs Jackfruit

The main difference between the 2 is their flavour and appearance. Jackfruit is much bigger than its counterpart.

While both fruit are green in their young stage. Jackfruit appears to have curvy spikes all around it while breadfruit has more of a bumpy exterior.

Breadfruit is savory in taste although it can be used to make sweet dishes. Jackfruit when it is young and immature is savory in taste and is often used by many vegans to make "mock meat" meals.

When jackfruit ripens/matures, it is much sweetener in taste and is eaten in its raw state as a snack or used in desserts.

The steps

• Slice the breadfruit in half so you are left with 2 quarters.
• Use a paring knife to cut away the core (this is known as "the heart")
• Use a paring knife or use a vegetable peeler if you find it easier to remove the skin.
• Cut each quarter of breadfruit vertically into medium sized slices  (not too thin nor too thick, somewhere in between).

• Add the slices to a large saucepan of boiling water with pink salt and vinegar.
• Simmer for roughly 6-8 minutes until the fries are tender (check with a fork).
• Drain off the fries in a colander and rinse them with cold water to prevent them from cooking any further.

• Leave the fries to completely cool before blotting dry with kitchen towel.
• Mix the curry powder, paprika, parsley, thyme, scotch bonnet powder, all purpose seasoning, black pepper, pink salt, olive oil, lime juice together in a small bowl.
• Place the fries in a large bag or zip lock bag, secure the bag accordingly then shake the bag so the fries are completely coated.
• Preheat the air fryer.

• Place fries in the basket and bake @ 356f/180c for 12-16 minutes (you may need to do this in batches).
• Turn the slices half way through the cooking time and lightly spray with oil (this is optional).
• Repeat the last 2 steps with the remaining slices.
• Sprinkle additional pink salt on the slices if you want to and serve.

Notes and tips

• You want a breadfruit that is just ripe, so not overripe, it should be quite firm, green with some brown spots (refer to the picture of the breadfruit).
• The recipe isn't very spicy, if you want more heat then add more scotch bonnet powder.
• There is no substitute for breadfruit, you WILL need to get hold of some breadfruit in order to try this recipe.
• The thinner you cut the breadfruit slices the crisper the overall results.
• You can buy breadfruit from neighbourhood that are frequented by Caribbean/ Latinos and Polynesian people (depending on your location).
• The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the slices and air fryer model.
• To re-heat the slices, it is best to spritz the slices lightly with oil.
• Any leftover breadfruit should be wrapped securely in aluminium foil and a zip lock bag and stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days (you will need to spritz with oil before re-heating).
• Reheat the slices in the air fryer 180C/356F for several minutes.

Jackfruit recipes to try

• Vegan Mofongo
• Brown Stew Jackfruit
• Jackfruit Rundown
• Curried Jackfruit

Dipping sauces

• Caribbean Curry Sauce
• Mango Pineapple Sauce
• Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

More recipes to try

• Okra Punch
• Jamaican Coconut Rice
• Oyster Mushrooms (Vegan Fried Chicken)
• Jamaican Steamed Cabbage
• Baigan Choka
• Plantain Curry

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