Joy’s Green Banana Salad

Ingredients

• 6 small unripe (green) bananas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin rings
• 1 cup small shrimp – peeled and deveined
• 1 cup crabmeat
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1 hard-cooked egg, peeled and sliced (optional)

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the ends off of the bananas, and make a slit lengthwise down the peel. Cook bananas in boiling water until tender (similar to a potato). Drain, cool, and remove peels. Cut into small chunks and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the pieces, and stir to coat.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and crab, and fry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Add onions, green pepper and seafood to the bananas in the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, sugar and bacon pieces. Pour this mixture over the bananas, and toss lightly to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with slices of hard-cooked egg if desired.