As a cook and food lover, I thrive off new ingredients and techniques. Food movements such as zero-waste cooking, plant-based eating and even health fads, even if some are questionable, often push boundaries, creating new and innovative foods, some of which lead to the discovery of intriguing and welcome new flavour experiences.
If I’m being honest, banana skin “bacon” (or bananacon or facon, as some people call it) isn’t all that similar to bacon, but it is delicious, interesting and fun; it’s also really easy to make. The most important thing is to use organic bananas, to avoid pesticides and fungicides. The second most important thing is that your banana skins are super-ripe, with large brown spots, which will guarantee a sweeter end result.
Your bananacon should be eaten immediately, but any leftover marinade can be reused or added to a stew to enhance its umami flavours. Once made, the marinade will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Banana peel bacon
At the Rock Oyster Festival last summer, I did an open-fire cooking demo alongside my old friend and River Cottage colleague, Steve Lamb (now a charcuterie expert and presenter), at which I made a dirty vegan caesar salad topped with this “bacon”. I then used it at a feast co-hosted with Ross Geach from Padstow Kitchen Garden to feed some 50 revellers, and it proved a huge hit. As long as you have smoked paprika to impart its smoky flavours, then the smoked water isn’t an essential ingredient, so please don’t feel that you need to buy some (unless, of course, you fancy trying it in other dishes; Halen Môn sells it, among others.
2 (or more) ripe, brown organic banana skins
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp tamari
1 tsp smoked water (optional)
Black pepper
Oil, for frying
Remove and compost the hard stalks from the top of the banana skins, then scrape away and compost any soft flesh from the insides of the skins.
For every two skins, mix up a marinade of one measure each of the smoked paprika, maple syrup, tamari and optional smoked water , then season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Add the prepared skins, toss to coat, then leave to marinate for at least four hours, and preferably overnight, turning occasionally.
Fry the drained banana skins in a hot, lightly oiled frying pan for three minutes on each side, until blistered and deep golden brown, and serve immediately.
