MOFONGOWITH SHRIMP

Ingredients

For the Shrimp

  • 738g (1.6 lbs) shrimp

  • 1 tsp (6g) salt

  • 1 tsp (2g) black pepper

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil

For the Plátanos

  • 3 plátanos

  • 4 cloves (12g) garlic

  • oil, enough to cover (for frying)

  • 3 tbsp (43g) butter

  • 2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil

  • 1 tsp (6g) salt

For the Cream Sauce

  • 9 cloves (27g) garlic

  • 1 tsp (6g) salt

  • 300ml (1¼ cups) heavy cream

  • 100ml (⅓ cup) white wine

  • 1 tbsp (14g) butter

  • 2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil

  • 1 tsp (1g) Dominican oregano

  • ½ tsp (1g) chili flakes

  • 1 tsp (2g) smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp (3g) onion powder

  • ½ cup (8g) fresh cilantro, chopped

  • ½ cup (50g) parmesan cheese

For the Salami

  • ⅓ cup (60g) Dominican salami, diced, for frying

For Garnish

  • chopped fresh cilantro

Method

  1. Make Garlic Paste for the Sauce – In a pilón, mash 9 cloves garlic with 1 tsp salt until a smooth paste forms. Remove from the pilón and set aside.

  2. Prepare Garlic for the Plátanos – Add 4 cloves garlic to the pilón and mash into a paste. Leave this in the pilón.

  3. Prep and Fry the Plátanos – Peel the plátanos and cut into even pieces. Fry in oil until lightly golden. Remove and drain.

  4. Mash the Plátanos – Add the fried plátanos to the pilón with the garlic paste already inside. Add the butter, olive oil, and salt, then mash until smooth and cohesive. Set aside.

  5. Cook the Shrimp – Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and cook for 1½–2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.

  6. Build the Sauce – In the same pan, add butter, olive oil, and the reserved garlic paste. Cook gently until fragrant, then add the oregano, chili flakes, smoked paprika, and onion powder.

  7. Deglaze and Cream – Add the white wine and cook briefly. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer.

  8. Finish the Sauce – Stir in the parmesan cheese, then add the shrimp and chopped cilantro, mixing until combined.

  9. Fry the Salami – In a separate pan, fry the diced salami until browned and crisp.

  10. Assemble – Fold the fried salami into the mashed plátanos. Serve the shrimp and cream sauce over the plátanos and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Additional Notes

I originally wanted the plátanos to be smoother, as they came out a bit crumbly at first. I adjusted the fat ratios in the recipe to correct this, so if this is your first time making it, follow the recipe as written and don’t automatically add more fat — the corrections are already accounted for.

Cilantro is optional. You could easily substitute parsley if you don’t like cilantro. For this recipe, I tolerated it.

Salami was a personal choice here. You can absolutely substitute any other protein if you prefer.