Recipe: Gator Tail Mofongo

Chef Jeff welcomes the winner of Sherri Shepherd's nationwide star search, ‘Funny Over 50’, Juanita Lolita. To get her ready for her next appearance on Sherri's show, she's asked Chef Jeff for a special send-off dinner celebrating both sides of her heritage, which she describes as ‘half hillbilly, half Puerto Rican", Chef Jeff’s inspired recipe- Gator Tail Mofongo.

To find out more about Juanita Lolita, including upcoming live dates, click here. See her most recent appearance with Sherri by clicking here.

Click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe. If you make it, let us know how it turns out!

If you make the recipe below, we want to see it! Email us, DinnerDeeAs@fox.com or message us on Facebook or Instagram.

Ingredients for Gator Tail

• 1 lb gator tail, skinned and cleaned

• 2 cups buttermilk

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp paprika

• salt and pepper, to taste

• vegetable oil, for frying

Ingredients for Mofongo

• 6 green plantains, peeled and sliced

• 1 tsp salt

• vegetable oil, for frying

• 2 cloves garlic, 1 whole & 1 minced

• 3-4 pork rinds

• 2 oz margarine, melted

• pinch dried oregano

• pinch sazon complete seasoning

Ingredients for Salsa Criolla Sauce

• 1 yellow onion, sliced

• 1 green pepper, sliced

• 1 red pepper, sliced

• 1 yellow pepper, sliced

• ¼ tbsp dried oregano

• ¼ tbsp ground black pepper

• ⅓ tbsp minced garlic

• ½ bunch fresh cilantro, minced

• 8 oz can tomato sauce

• pinch sazon complete seasoning

Ingredients for Green Salsa

• 1 onion

• 1 jalapeño

• 1 long green chili

• 1 long green pepper

• 1 bunch cilantro

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 bunch arugula

• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

• zest and juice of 1 lemon

• extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

• Sea salt

Directions for Gator Tail

• Rinse gator tail under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

• Cut gator tail into bite-sized pieces.

• In bowl, marinate gator tail pieces in buttermilk at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, in refrigerator. This helps tenderize meat and remove any gamey flavor.

• In separate bowl, mix together flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

• Remove gator tail from buttermilk and dredge each piece in seasoned flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

• Heat vegetable oil in deep frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

• Fry gator tail pieces in batches until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Directions for Mofongo

• In large pot, bring salted water to boil. Add sliced plantains and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes.

• Drain plantains and let them cool slightly.

• In deep frying pan or skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.

• Fry pork rinds until crispy, then remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

• In mortar or large bowl, mash cooked plantains with whole garlic clove, minced garlic, melted margarine, dried oregano, sazon seasoning, and crispy pork rinds until smooth and well combined.

Directions for Salsa Criolla Sauce

• In separate skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.

• Add sliced onion, green pepper, red pepper, and yellow pepper. Sauté until vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes.

• Stir in dried oregano, ground black pepper, minced garlic, and minced fresh cilantro. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

• Add tomato sauce and pinch of sazon seasoning. Allow sauce to simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through and flavors are well combined.

Directions for Green Salsa

• Preheat grill or oven to high temperature (at least 450 °F).

• Place onion, jalapeno, long green chili, and long green pepper directly onto grill or onto baking sheet if using oven.

• Char vegetables, turning occasionally, until skins are deeply blackened and blistered. This can take 5-10 minutes.

• Once charred, transfer vegetables to bowl and cover with lid or plastic wrap. Allow to steam for about 10 minutes. This helps loosen skins, making them easier to peel.

• After steaming, peel blackened skins off vegetables. Remove stems and seeds from jalapeno and long green chili if desired, depending on preferred level of spiciness.

• In blender or food processor, combine peeled charred vegetables, cilantro (stems and leaves), garlic cloves, arugula, white wine vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

• Add glug of EVOO to blender. Start with small amount and adjust to desired consistency, adding more if needed.

• Blend ingredients until smooth. If salsa is too thick, add a little water to thin it out.

• Season salsa with sea salt to taste.

• Transfer salsa to serving bowl or container.

Assemble Dish

• To serve, mold mashed plantain mixture into individual servings on plates.

• Arrange fried gator tail pieces on top of mofongo.

• Spoon Salsa Criolla Sauce generously over gator tail and mofongo.

• Serve Green Salsa on side or drizzle over dish for an extra burst of flavor.

• Garnish with additional fresh cilantro if desired.

To grab more recipes from Dinner DeeAs, click here.