“A picture is worth a thousand words”, right? Today I bring you not one, but TWELVE pictures on Tostones. What are Tostones, you ask me? Tostones are one of the Dominican Republic’s favorite side dishes, flattened green plantains, double fried and crispy. You can serve them for:
- Breakfast, as a side to fried eggs and cheese
- Lunch, as a side to Rice and Beans
- Dinner, by using them as mini-sandwiches and layering them with fried salami
- Passed Canapes, topping them with anything from Avocado (like I’ll show you!) to Duck Breast!
How to Make Tostones 101
- Cut both ends off green plantains.
- Slice a slit down the length of the entire plantain, going entirely through the skin.
- Rub your hands with vegetable oil. This will prevent the starchiness of the plantains from making your hands unbearably sticky.
- Break off the peel. Some plantains will be easier to peel than others. Work with them.
- Preheat a saute pan with about an inch of oil. You could also deep-fry these in a larger amount of oil and not have to flip them. Your call.)
- Slice plantains into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces and slide into the hot oil.
- Flip over after 30 seconds and remove from pan.
- If you have a fancy toston masher, use that. Or just wash a can and mash your halfway cooked plantain with that.
- Slide back into the hot oil, flip and cook for 30 more seconds on each side.
- Remove from pan, add salt and enjoy!
You can snack on these as they are, but below is a delicious idea you can add to your next dinner party or get together! How about setting up a bar of toppings and having your guests make their own creations? What a fun party!
To make Canape below:
Dice a ripe avocado and mix olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Layer on warm fried plantain, top with queso fresco and sprinkle with grilling spices or cayenne pepper. Enjoy!
Giveaway Time!!! What would YOU top with a fried green plantain? Dream up one creation and share in the comments! All entries will be entered to win a plantain masher (resembling this one) from the Dominican Republic! Foodie Rules: One entry per person. US addresses only. Deadline: September 13th at around bedtime (or 11pm).
I love tostones Nelly!
I would be topping mine with: a) a bit of ketchup and salami; b)a bit of chimichurri sauce and carnita; c) garlic butter, salmon, a very thin slice of lemon and white pepper; d) mustard, sausage and pickles
😀
OMG, this is fabulous! I would love this for sure! Next time I visit my Latin grocer, this is on and I will post photos.
Thanks for sharing! I learned something new ;-).
i love that you topped avocado and queso on top of your fried plantain!! wonderful tapas or appetizer for a party!! awesome post love!
I’ve heard of, and love, fried plantains before, but never heard the term tostones before. I always love learning new stuff from you Nelly! Your canapé looks absolutely fabulous, but as an alternative how about a sweet version topped with fresh whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinna,on, and a little bittersweet chocolate sauce?
ironic, Manila has tons of bananas – even different variants of it and I haven’t thought of making something like this!
thanks for sharing!
Love tostones! We order Dominican food occasionally here at work and they are an absolute must. Now I may even try making them at home. As far as topping them goes, a nice ceviche comes to mind!
Oh my GOSH. I love fried plantains! The first time I had them was in Haiti in 2005. I tried making them when I got home and failed miserably, sans recipe. Then I went to a cooking class a couple of weeks ago and we made them there. So inspired! I HAVE to make these!
Not a US resident of course, but will offer my two cents anyway, for fun! I love your avocado topping, so if I didn’t use that, I’d top them with little spoonfuls of ceviche and fresh cilantro. Swoon!
En casa somos fans! Yo lo comería con un poco de lambí guisadito 🙂
Tks for the recipe and wonderful “paso a paso”!
I had fried plantains as a side dish in Grand Turk this summer! 🙂 They were really good. Been meaning to make them myself, now I know how…lol Love your version with the avocado. I might try a blackened shrimp on it with maybe a touch of chevre. Great post!
Plantains. *swoon
I just love them! I have never made Tostones and the instructional pics are great. Thanks for a great post!!