Tostones (Fried Green Plantains)

Hey guys, come into my word of current obsessions. Ranking #1 right now? Plantains. Specifically, tostones. Aka fried green plantains.

Um, hello, Dana. We already knew you were obsessed with plantains, from that time you made two different kinds of plantain waffles AND plantains with chimichurri. We get it.

Let me clarify – these are fried GREEN plantains. Like golden brown and delicious starchy little coins of awesome that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (It’s a real thing, check out that dopamine hit!) But yes, I’ve talked and made recipes about plantains before. But those were a different kind of plantains. Let me give you the rundown here.

There are three stages of plantain ripeness. First, you have the super green ones that look like unripe bananas. These are the starchiest of the bunch – think of them as potatoes. You can fry them, turn them into a hash, any wa y you would use a regular potato. As they ripen, these turn into the yellow ones, which are slightly sweet, but still slightly starchy. Those are my plantains with chimichurri sauce.  Then, as they ripen, they get more and more brown spots until they’re completely black. Which means they are perfect for sweet fried plantains, like the ones you find in cuban restaurants. They basically taste like banana bread.

Not only do they taste totally different, but you have to cook them in totally different ways. Unless you want to end up eating raw plantains (basically like potatoes on the inside). Which does not taste good, I’ve tried. For the green ones, you have to fry them, smash them, then fry them again, to make sure you cook out all the raw starchy parts on the inside. For the yellow ones, you can just fry them once on both sides. And the black ones…you can fry them low and slow to caramelize them until done.

mmmmm. Anybody happen to have some already cooked plantains on hand? Would you send those over here? Great, thanks.

In my opinion, the green ones are the trickiest. But if you want those awesome, crispy, crunchy, golden brown and delicious (come on people, I can basically hear your mouths watering through the computer screen. Keep it together, sheesh!) french-fry like plantains, you gotta do what you gotta do. So here we go!

Cut the ends off your plantains.

Do not skip this step. This will make it much easier to peel them! Pesky little buggers.

Make a slice down the length of the whole plantain. Then, using both hands, peel the skin away until it’s completely removed.

This can be a little tricky, depending on the stage of ripeness. I usually get in there with both hands and push the plantain away from me while I’m peeling the skin towards me.

Cut the plantains into ½ – ¾ inch slices.

First frying time!

Heat a up your skillet skillet with 2 Tbsp coconut oil over medium heat for 2 minutes, to allow the oil to get hot. Once the oil is ready, carefully slide the plantains down the side of the skillet so you don’t splash yourself with oil.

Cook the plantains for 2 minutes on the first side, until golden brown. Use a fork to turn each plantain over. I like to use the side of the pan to help me flip them. Cook an additional 2 minutes on the second side. This is what they’ll look like:

Remove the plantains to a cutting board or plate on the side, add an additional 2 Tbsp oil to the pan, then turn OFF the heat. 

Use the back of a wooden spatula (or bottom of a glass jar) to flatten the plantains until they’re about ¼ inch thick.

Word to the wise: do not try to eat the plantains at this step. They’re still half raw (Read: super starchy and hard to swallow). Just wait a couple more minutes…you can do it!

Time for the second fry. 

Turn the heat back on the pan, and add an additional 2 Tbsp coconut oil. Slide the plantains back in, and cook for about a minute to a 1 minute 30 seconds on both sides, until they’re even more golden brown and delicious. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pan.

Once they’re finished cooking, remove the plantains immediately to the cookie sheet and toss the tostones with garlic salt.

devour.

These are amazing on their own, just with the garlic salt, but you can also get all fancy and dip them in stuff. Like guacamole. Or chimichurri. Or top them with guacamole and pulled pork. Oh you fancy, huh.