Fried Green Plantains – Tostones
Ingredients
- 3 green plantains
- Vegetable oil for frying, or any other neutral oil (about 2-3 cups or just enough to cover the slices)
- Salt, flaky salt works great
For serving:
- Cuban Mojo, optional
- Ketchup mayo, optional
- Guacamole, optional
Ketchup Mayo:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 small garlic clove minced., minced
Instructions
How to Peel Plantains (it’s just like peeling a yucca):
- Cut both ends of the plantain.
- With the tip of a sharp knife, cut through the skin, lengthwise, just deep enough to go through the skin (don’t cut through the flesh).
- With your fingers, separate the skin from the flesh.
- Note: Green plantains have a tough skin and sap, however, once you make a cut through the ridges of the skin, separating the skin from the flesh should be easy. Discard the skin.
- How To Cut Plantains: For tostones, slice the plantain into 2-inch chunks, diagonally.
- In a large, deep, heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium heat (If using a deep-fryer thermometer, the oil should register around 300F -325ºF)
- Cooking in batches, add about a third of the peeled and cut plantain slices into the skillet and cook, for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden but slightly pale.
- Transfer to a cooling rack or plate lined with paper towels, to drain. Continue frying the remaining slices.
- If you have a plantain press (tostonera) or a tortilla press, line it with plastic wrap, otherwise line your cutting board with a large piece of plastic wrap.
- Using your plantain press OR with the bottom of a drinking glass or a small plate, flatten the fried plantains by smashing them to about ¼ to ⅛ inch thick. Smash gently to prevent the slices from breaking. The edges will crack but the slices should be kept in one piece.
- Before frying the plantains for a second time, make sure to heat up the oil to medium-high heat (about 350ºF to 375ºF).
- Add the smashed plantains back into the oil and fry them for about 2 additional minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy
- Remove from the oil and transfer them to a paper towel lined cooling rack or plate. Immediately season with salt. Serve with Cuban mojo, ketchup mayo or guacamole.
Ketchup Mayo:
- Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Depending on size, you may get 5 to 6 tostones out of each plantain.
- Served as an appetizer, you need about 1 plantain per person.
- As a side dish, you can use 1 plantain per 2 people.
- The oil doesn’t need to be as hot on the first fry as you are only trying to soften the inside without browning the plantain too much.
- To test the oil to see if it is hot enough for the 2nd fry (without a deep-fry thermometer) using kitchen tongs, dunk a slice of plantain into the oil. If you see small bubbles forming around the plantain, the oil is ready for frying!
- Salt the tostones while they are hot right-off-the-skillet.
- Alternatively, right after the 2nd fry, while the tostones are still hot and draining, you can spritz or brush the mojo sauce over each side, lightly salt and serve.
- Tostones are best when served on the same day but will last, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
- Reheating tostones:
- In the air fryer at 350ºF. Place tostones in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Heat for 2-3 minutes or until warm and crispy.
Nutrition
Serving: 15 tostones, Calories: 1262 kcal, Carbohydrates: 215 g, Protein: 8 g, Fat: 42 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 25 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g, Trans Fat: 0.1 g, Cholesterol: 24 mg, Sodium: 911 mg, Potassium: 2506 mg, Fiber: 12 g, Sugar: 25 g, Vitamin A: 344 IU, Vitamin C: 112 mg, Calcium: 30 mg, Iron: 4 mg
