Shallow Fried Green Plantains (Tostones) – Whole30 and Paleo friendly. A healthier and great alternative to chips, other deep fried starches, and even bread! Use it for your sandwiches or burgers. Trust me!
It shouldn’t be a surprise that my first blog post is the long awaited tostones tutorial I promised awhile back to all of my Instagram followers. (Unfortunately, that file was incorrectly formatted and I couldn’t get it to load.) For anyone new, you will quickly learn that I have an affinity for tostones, and it’s not a joke. I literally make them 2-3 times per week, and have absolutely no shame about it. I use them as a vessel for my guacamole, and recently I’ve been making larger ones to use as “buns.”
Typically tostones are deep fried, but I think it’s unnecessary. You can still get the same golden crunchy texture by shallow frying it with a few tablespoons of oil. I personally like using coconut oil because I like that subtle sweetness it adds in contrast to the savory green plantain, but feel free to use whatever cooking fat you enjoy. Once you make these, there’s no turning back! They’ll be a part of your weekly menu.
Update January 2018: you can make tostones ahead of time for later use. Follow all of the steps, except for re-frying the tostones. So after you smash the tostones, let them cool down to room temperature, then freeze in a single layer, and then once frozen, transfer to a zip lock bag or freezer friendly container. (You can also store it in the refrigerator if you’re going to be re-frying them within a day or two.) When you’re ready to make tostones, just take them out of the freezer, heat up a skillet with cooking fat, and then fry on both sides for 3-4 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Update number two: if you want to make tostones cups pictured in my mango avocado salsa recipe, smash the fried plantains, place the flatten tostones in a muffin tin to form a cup shape for a few minutes and then re-fry it.
Shallow Fried Green Plantains (Tostones)
Ingredients
- 3 green plantains
- ¼-½ cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
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Pre-heat skillet over medium heat with coconut oil.
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Slice plantains into 2 inch pieces. You'll get about 3-4 pieces per plantain.*
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Cut pieces in half lengthwise and peel off skin.
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Place plantains into skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. If you find your plantains browning too quickly, lower your heat down. You want the inside to be cooked through or your plantains will crumble when you smash it.
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Remove plantains and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain for a couple minutes.
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Place a plantain slice on a flat surface and smash with something flat (pan, plate, bottom of a cup & etc).
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Reheat the oil (you may need to add a little more here) and place flatten plantains into the skillet once the oil has heated up.
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Fry on both sides for about 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy.
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Transfer plantains back onto a paper towel lined plate and immediately season with kosher salt.
Recipe Notes
*To get bigger tostones for "tostones buns," cut off the ends of the plantain, then cut the plantain in half or in thirds width wise and then cut those sections in half length wise. You'll either get 4 or 6 total pieces.
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Nice!