Go Caribbean style with your next snack and make these addicting crispy tostones. A super easy recipe that involves simply slicing and frying green plantains while they’re not quite ripe. Dip in garlic butter sauce or eat plain, either way, you’ll be hooked!
Do you ever make those recipes that the entire process just warms you to the core? Where it’s not just the recipe itself, but the entire process that has a deeper meaning? Tostones are one of these recipes for me. They’re not some fancy food or something grand, but they’re my childhood wrapped up in one little snack. Especially popular in Latin America.
How To Make
- Peel and slice – Peel the plantains and slice them into 1-inch slices.
- Fry – Heat the oil in a skillet to medium. You don’t want the oil too hot. Fry the plantains in batches until golden brown.
- Squish – Remove from the skillet to a paper towel, smash each one with the bottom of a greased glass or skillet, and place them into salted garlic water. Dry them completely and then return them to the pan.
- Fry again – Fry for another couple of minutes. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Enjoy!
Top Tips For The Perfect Tostones
- Use them with dip – Plantains, when they’re green, are pretty plain tasting and don’t taste like bananas, like many people think. When fried like this, they’re pretty comparable to a potato chip. This means they can go with countless dips. Some of my favorite choices are Spinach Artichoke Dip, French Onion Dip, or my Hot Crab Dip.
- How do I peel a plantain? – It’s more of a slicing than peeling, ha! Green plantains are a bugger to peel because you can’t just go at them like you would a banana. Even as they ripen, they can still be tough to peel. I usually like to take a paring knife and make a slit down the inside of the banana and pop it out.
- Add them to your salad – Fried plantains go really well on salads, especially because of their texture. It’s like adding a healthy version of the crouton.
- Serve them with arroz con pollo and tomato avocado salad for the ultimate Cuban meal.
What is the Difference Between Tostones and Maduros?
Tostones are specifically made out of plantains that are still green. This means they’re not quite ripe and not yet sweet. Therefore, when they’re fried, they taste and act more like a potato chip rather than a banana chip. However, maduros are made the exact same way as tostones, except the plantains are no longer green, but ripe. When ripe, plantains are sweeter and comparable to bananas, although not as rich. This makes them a completely different style of food. It’s important to note that tostones are commonly fried twice and maduros are not.
Storage
- Pantry – Store in a container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge – Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – Place in an airtight container or freezer bag and keep for up to 2 months.
You can find more delicious recipes and cooking tutorial videos on Youtube and Facebook.
Tostones
Ingredients
- 3 green plantains peeled and sliced into 1-inch slices
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Kosher salt for topping to taste
- oil, for frying
Garlic Butter Sauce
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Slice the stems off the plantains and discard. Using a knife, cut a line from the top to the bottom of the plantain on both sides. Peel the skin off and discard it. Slice the plantain into 1 inch thick slices.
- Heat some oil in a skillet. You don't want the oil to be too hot. The oil shouldn't bubble when you place the plantains in it. Fry the plantains for 4-5 minutes on each side and then remove them from the oil.
- Grease the bottom of a small skillet or glass and smash the plantains.
- In a large bowl mix the water, 1 tbsp salt, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Dip each plantain into the salted garlic water and then dry with a paper towel. Make sure you dry the plantains well before frying again.
- Once dried, place the smashed plantains back into the skillet and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy.
- Season with salt to taste.
- To make the garlic butter sauce, add all of the ingredients except for the parsley into a small skillet. Cook until the butter melts completely and warms up. Using a spoon, remove any foam on top. Stir in the fresh parsley.
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