Yuca Fries

This Yuca Fries Recipe will show you how you can take your fresh or leftover yuca and transform it into something crispy and absolutely delicious.

What Is Yuca

Yuca, is the root of the cassava plant, It is a very starchy root vegetable. You will find it used in a lot of Hispanic and Caribbean cooking. As Cubans, Yuca was something present at every special occasion. It is usually simply boiled and topped with Mojo Criollo.

Yuca is a light white or cream color, and has a grainy texture similar to potatoes. It is so meaty, and you can best describe the taste as being sweet and somewhat nutty. Yuca is high in carbs, but low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It can be a good source of manganese and vitamin C.

In Nicaragua, one of the most iconic dishes is Vigoron, where the Yuca is boiled and topped with crunchy lettuce and other condiments that really highlight and compliment the yuca.

One of the best thing about Yuca, is that you can turn it into Yuca Fries. Yuca Fries take everything we love about Yuca, the creaminess and sweetness and elevate it with a nice crisp crunch. We like dunking our yuca fries in our Avocado Crema or Mojo Criollo.

How Do You Make Yuca Fries

The first thing you do, is boil the Yuca. The yuca must be cooked until almost completely tender before we do anything else.

The truth is, Yuca fries are usually the happy aftermath of making too much yuca (usually on Noche Buena). It’s a recipe meant to repurpose boiled yuca into something different. Something better. 

It is definitely a great midday snack or side dish at the dinner table the week after Christmas. All the leftover yuca from Noche Buena is refrigerated and then turned to fries.

After years of so many yuca leftovers you would think that grandmothers and my mothers everywhere would learn to make less Yuca. But it is part of the fun.

“We looked forward to the leftovers almost as much as noche Buena dinner”.

Ani

Then once you have your boiled yuca, the next step simply is to just fry them. There are no secrets or extra ingredients. The yuca does not need to be battered or dipped in anything special. The yuca just fries up perfectly maintaining it’s creamy sweetness.

Some Tips Before You Make Yuca Fries

• If you are using frozen yuca, place them in the water as they are. You do not need to defrost them or cut them.
• If you are using fresh yuca, start by peeling the thick skin. It’s best to use a peeler because a knife would cut too deep into the yuca. Once it is peeled run it under water and dry it off. Be sure there are no dark brown spots or hairs from the exterior. 
• Important tip: You don’t want to cut the yuca into the fry shape before boiling. If you do, too much water will get inside of them. They should look like a large fat potato wedge. 
• Pair Our Yuca Fries with our Bistec de Palomilla, Confetti Fish or any time you would serve a potato French fries.

Try Some of Our Other Favorite Side Dishes