Don’t worry LeBron James, we know where to get seafood potato greens in Philly
If LeBron James wants seafood potato greens, he should try versions of the West African stew by Le Mandingue and Fatim's Kitchen.
LeBron James hasn’t been in Philly that long, between his move and shuttling back and forth to New York City by helicopter. But he’s apparently hoping to spend time in Philly restaurants, at least according to his social media.
On Sunday, King James posted a plea to his Instagram stories: “Philly fam!! Where do I go for seafood potato greens??” He was asking on behalf of his wife, Savannah James, and added “she like all suggestions. Obvi the best ones.”
Mr. James, perhaps The Inquirer may be of service.
First, to respond to the befuddled commenters, we’re talking about seafood potato greens — which is a West African stew, and not three separate foods of “seafood, potato, and greens.” It’s served with white or brown rice and it’s a hearty, nourishing one-pot meal.
The dish has gone viral in recent weeks, as influencers have posted about trying it from restaurants in Newark and also preparing their own versions.
Given Philadelphia’s robust West African food scene, James has numerous options, and most will offer different versions of “potato greens,” made with various proteins with a base of sweet potato leaves. Seafood potato greens are especially rich, packed with shellfish like crab or shrimp, and sometimes meat or poultry.
Fatim’s Kitchen in Chester has seafood potato greens featuring a whole langoustine emerging from the stew, along with shrimp and crab. The greens are sublimely velvety, cooked down until they dissolve upon contact with your lips.
Our restaurant critic, Craig LaBan, is a fan of Le Mandingue African Restaurant on Woodland Avenue, which serves seafood potato greens. LaBan called chef-owner Fanta Fofana’s sweet potato greens the best thing he had eaten one week in March.
“Rich red palm oil is most commonly used to sauté the greens in Liberia’s small villages,” according to Fofana, “while city chefs tend toward more neutral white oils,” he wrote. “Fofana strikes a compromise by blending the two. She also pulls no punches when it comes to adding flavor from chile spice and mixed proteins, like the rustic savor of smoked turkey and hunks of chicken and beef. While the greens are luxuriously soft when cooked, they also have a remarkable ability to absorb and magnify every ounce of bold flavor in their tender leaves.”
In fact, Le Mandingue posted an enticing video of their seafood potato greens just last week.
And should you like a particularly spicy version of sweet potato greens laced around beef bones, might we recommend Emma’s Liberian Kitchen? Theirs are cooked in palm oil and have a long, lingering heat.
In any case, we hope to run into James at any of the above establishments. Or perhaps even in Chinatown.
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