I absolutely love these crispy little discs. Tostones are a twice fried green plantain. They are crunchy and shatterable on the outside and soft in the middle. They are found most often in Latin American and the Caribbean. I like serving tostones with a mojo verde sauce, which is a vinegary sauce full of cilantro and garlic. An important note here is that the plantain must be green for tostones.

If you make tostones often, you might invest in a tostonera. This is a small hinged plantain press designed to smash the plantain slice after the first fry. I find a coffee cup or small flat plate adequately squishes the tostones. These are best served hot (like most fried foods). They don’t last long on my counter!

Tostones

Ingredients

2 green plantains (must be green still for tostones)

3-4 cups oil for frying (I used canola)

1 cup water

2 cloves garlic

1/2 Tablespoon salt

2 lime

1 bunch cilantro

2 garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 jalapeno

1/2 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Start by cutting off the tip and end of your green plantain.
2. To peel your plantain, slice a shallow cut only through the skin of the plantain from the tip to the end. Then pull off the peel.
3. Slice your plantain into 1 inch pieces.
4. Ask a grown up to help with the oil and frying portion of this recipe!
5. Fill a large, heavy bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) with 2 inches of oil. I use canola oil, but any neutral, inexpensive oil will work. Don’t use your grown up’s fancy olive oil!
6. Heat the oil on medium heat.
7. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of water, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 Tablespoon salt, and the juice from 1 lime. Put that to the side.
8. Lay 6 pieces of paper towel on a plate to absorb the oil after you fry the plantains. Line a second plate with paper towels for the second fry.
9. Use long handled, metal tongs to gently place your plantain slices into the hot oil.
10. If they boil and have large bubbles, turn your heat down. You just want small, gentle bubbles.
11. Fry plantain slices for 4 minutes. Then you use your tongs to carefully turn them over. Fry the slices for 4 more minutes.
12. Remove your plantain slices to one of your paper towel lined plates. Turn off your burner that is heating the oil.
13. Let them cool slightly and then smash them with a coffee cup or a small plate. You want them about the thickness of a hamburger patty. If you go too thin, they will break apart.
14. Dip your flattened plantain into your lime and water mixture and let it sit for 10 seconds. Place dipped plantains back on your paper towels.
15. Heat your oil over medium high. Once it is hot, use your metal tongs to gently place your smashed plantains back in the hot oil. Cook plantains 1 minute on each side.
16. Remove plantains to your dry paper towel plate and immediately sprinkle with flaky salt or whatever salt you have.
17. Serve with Mojo Verde sauce or ketchup.

Notes:

• Try serving with another common dip by mixing half mayonnaise and half ketchup.
• Try squeezing some lime juice over your tostones just before serving.
• If you are not ready to eat your tostones, pause right after you dip them in your lime water and place them on the paper towel lined plate. The lime water helps keep them from browning while you wait. Then when you’re ready to eat, do your second fry.
• Make sure you don’t use yellow plantains for this recipe. The flavor will be less like a raw potato and more like a banana. It will be too sweet and won’t fry up as nicely.