Plate of Fried Patacones
(click to enlarge)

Patacones / Tostones


Central & South America, Caribbean   -   Patacones / Tostones
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1 #
**
40 min
Rewarm		 An appetizer or side dish, popular throughout Central and South Americas and Caribbean. It can be savory or sweet depending on Plantain ripeness. See also Comments.

3
2-1/2
ar

c

Plantains (1)  
Oil for fry
Salt (2)
Make   -   (40 min)
  1. Cut ends off Plantains and make shallow slits down the peel with the point of you knife, being careful not to cut into the flesh. Peel them (the greener they are, the harder to peel). Cut into lengths of 1 to 1-1/2 inches.
  2. Place Oil in a kadhai, wok or other suitable deep fry container. Bring up to about 300°F/154°C and fry Plantain in modest size batches. Keep them moving in the oil, and keep the temperature low so they have time to soften through before becoming light golden. Drain them.
  3. Press each Plantain Segment lengthwise to less than 1/2 inch thickness. In their region they have a special press, but I use a wide flat bottomed glass jar, which allows me to see what's happening underneath.
  4. IF you need to hold the Patacones at this point, see Do-Ahead.
  5. Bring the Oil up to about 330°F/165°C. Fry the Patacones, about 4 at a time, until light golden. Flip them over once. They are done when they have a light golden color and are floating at the top of the oil. Drain them on paper towels.
  6. Sprinkle with Salt while still hot, so the Salt sticks better.
  7. These are best served warm, and sprinkled with Salt (see Salt). A bowl of sauce is often provided - such as Hogao (Colombia) as a toping, or Mojo Verdi as a dip or spread.
NOTES:

  1. Plantains:

      These large bananas should be very green, but sometimes all that can be had is green streaked with yellow. These will work, but be a lot sweeter. For details see our Plantains page.

  2. Salt:

      Best is a good finishing salt for sprinkling, such as Fleur de Sel or Maldon. The contrast between salty and sweet is desirable.

  3. Do-Ahead:

      The Patacones can be held for some hours at this stage. Make a solution of 1 cup Water, 2 T Lime Juice. Dip them in for 10 seconds each, drain, pat dry with paper towels, bag and refrigerate. This dip can be used even if the Patacones will be fried immediately, as it will somewhat improve the results.

  4. Comments:

      These, and similar recipes, are very popular throughout the tropics. "Patacones" (Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador); "Tostones" ( Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Cuba, Honduras and Venezuela; "Tachinos", "Chatinos" (Cuba); "Platano frito", "Frito verde" (Dominican Republic); "Bannann peze" (Haiti).
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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