Claclo

Name: Claclo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Ivory Coast
Ingredients: 4 very ripe plantains, almost black; 1 onion, grated; 1 fresh chilli, chopped; 2 tbsp cassava or maize flour; 1 pinch of nutmeg; 1 tsp salt; Oil for frying

Local name: Claclo

This claclo recipe fries fritters of very ripe mashed plantain to a deep brown, sold on street corners across Abidjan.

Published on 4 September 2026·Updated on 25 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#plantain#fritter#fried#snack#ivory coast

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Mash the plantains with a fork to a rough purée, leaving a few pieces whole.
Add the grated onion, chilli, nutmeg and salt, then mix.
Work in the flour a spoonful at a time until the batter holds on a spoon without running.
Heat 3 cm of oil to 170 °C. Drop in spoonfuls of batter, flattening them a little.
Fry for 3 minutes a side to a deep brown, the sugar in the plantain colours fast.
Drain on kitchen paper and eat hot.

Everything rests on how ripe the plantain is. Yellow skin gives bland fritters; wait until it is black and the fruit yields under your thumb.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 276 kcal
Protein: 3.1 g
Fat: 0.8 g
Carbohydrate: 71.3 g
Fibre: 4.1 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know the plantains are ripe enough?

The skin should be black or nearly so, and the fruit should give clearly under your thumb. By then the starch has turned to sugar, which is what gives both flavour and the deep brown of the fried surface. A yellow plantain stays starchy and the fritters taste of nothing.

My fritters fall apart in the oil. Why?

The mixture is too wet. Add the cassava or corn flour a spoonful at a time until it holds on the spoon without running, and check the oil: below 170 °C the surface does not set fast enough to hold the mash together.

Why do my claclo brown before they are cooked through?

The sugar in very ripe plantain colours fast. If the outside darkens in under a minute the oil is too hot: bring it back to around 170 °C and flatten the spoonfuls slightly so there is less depth to cook through.

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