Caribbean · 22 min · Easy · 4 servings
Fried Pineapple Rings
Pineapple cut into rings, dried, dusted and dropped through a thin sparkling batter into hot oil, so the outside shatters and the fruit inside turns hot, syrupy and startlingly sharp against the sugar.
~330 cal per serving — Calories are approximate, per serving — a guide only.
Method
- 1
Cut and dry the rings
Cut the pineapple into rings about as thick as your finger and push the core out of each one. Lay them on a clean towel and blot them properly on both sides. Pineapple is wet, and batter slides straight off a wet ring, so this is the step that decides whether the rest works.
- 2
Mix a thin batter
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt together, then pour in the cold sparkling water and the lime juice and whisk just until it comes together. Keep it thinner than you think: it should run off the whisk in a ribbon, not sit on it. A thick batter insulates the fruit and never crisps.
- 3
Fry until they blister
⏱ 3 minHeat the oil in a deep skillet until a drop of batter sizzles and rises straight away. Dip each ring, let the excess run off for a second, and lower it in away from you. Fry a few at a time so the oil stays hot, turning once, until both sides are deep gold and blistered.
- 4
Drain and serve hot
Lift them onto a rack or a plate and let them sit for a minute so the outside stays crisp rather than steaming itself soft. Dust with a little more sugar and cinnamon if you like, and eat them while the fruit inside is still hot.
Notes
Fresh pineapple is worth it here; the tinned kind is too soft and too sweet, and it waterlogs the batter. Sparkling water is doing real work, so open it just before you mix and do not let the batter stand. They are at their best about two minutes out of the pan and they do not keep.