A family recipe, from Puerto Rico! Tostones is plural for Tostón, and is a crunchy plate-shaped fritter made of just green plantain. Tostones are usually enjoyed with mayonaise-Ketchup dipping sauce or seafood on top.
Ingredients and Tools
- Green plantains (NOT bananas; YES, you read GREEN plantains)
- Frying oil (coconut or olive oil recommended)
- Garlic
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Cutting board, frying pan, coffee mug
Step 1, make the sauce: Mash 3 cloves of garlic in a mortar to a paste-like consistency. Mix mayonnaise and ketchup in a 3 to 2 ratio. Gradually add garlic until you reach desired taste (you can always add more, but you can’t take it out!).
Step 2, fry the plantains: Peel the green plantains and cut them into one-inch rounds. Fry the rounds in preheated oil on medium heat until golden; remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel.
Step 3, shape the plantains: On the cutting board, smash the fried plantain rounds flat using your coffee mug. If they don’t hold together – or if they stick to the mug – they need to be fried longer.
Step 4, re-fry the plantains: Throw once-fried smashed plantain rounds back into the oil, this time on high heat. This second fry will give them a crunchy texture.
Tostones masters make sure to salt their tostones as soon as they come out of the pan and – like anything fried – eat them while they’re still hot.
Buen Provecho!
Luis Enrique
