Patacones: Fried Green Plantains l Panning The Globe

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Rustic, savory, crispy Patacones are a popular appetizer and side dish in many Latin American and Caribbean countries, and for good reason - they taste amazing. These delicious discs of flattened twice-fried plantains are easy to make at home. All you need is a green plantain, oil, salt and the cooking technique I'm about to share with you that I learned from a chef in Costa Rica.

What are Patacones?

Patacones are made from unripe, green plantains that are peeled, sliced, fried, flattened into discs and then fried again.

The end result is a thick, jagged-edged chip that's crisp and golden brown on the outside and tender inside.

a dozen patacones draining on a paper towel

I discovered patacones while traveling in Costa Rica. A local chef prepared dinner for us at our airbnb and when we sat down to enjoy appetizers, I grabbed what I thought was a thick tortilla chip, dipped it into guacamole, took a bite and fell in love.

Everyone at the table had the same reaction at their first taste of a patacone - taking in the flavor and texture of this warm, crunchy, salted morsel is a unique pleasure. It is definitely the best thing I've ever dipped into guacamole.

one patacone chip being dipped into a bowl of guacamole

Our chef Desiree was kind enough to teach me how to make patacones and I could not wait to make them again and to share the recipe here on the blog.

What do Patacones taste like?

They taste like a cross between potato chips and french fries, crispy on the outside, tender inside, savory, salty and super satisfying.

Patacones Ingredients

All you need to make patacones are green plantains, oil and salt.

What are green plantains?

Green plantains are unripe plantains. Despite being unripe, green plantains are perfect for cooking certain dishes, such as patacones. When the skin of the plantain is green, the unripe fruit within is high in starch and low in sugar making them ideal for frying up crisp and golden brown.

A green plantain on a striped cloth napkin

How to Peel Green Plantains

Green plantains have a thick tough skin, but follow these easy peeling tips and you should have no trouble.

Cut off the stem and the tip of the plantain
Make a slit in the skin, from end to end, keeping the slit shallow to avoid cutting into into the flesh of the plantain
Use your fingers to pry open the skin and peel it off
If you can't get under the skin with your fingers, insert the tip of your knife to gently loosen the first bit of skin.

A green plantain with the ends snipped off and a slit cut into the skin from end to end, on a wooden cutting board with a knife

a green plantain with the skin partially peeled off and the flesh showing beneath

You may not be able to get the skin off in one piece - I got lucky here. But with a little poking and prying, you should have no problem getting the peel off.

A green plantain with the skin peeled off and the ends snipped off

a sliced green plantain on a wooden cutting board, the skin and a knife off to the side

How To Make Patacones

There are four simple steps to make patacones

Peel a green plantain and cut it crosswise into half-inch discs
Fry the discs in oil for just a few minutes, to soften them
Flatten the fried discs under a cutting board or in a tortilla press
Fry the flattened discs for a few minutes, until golden brown.

The First Fry

Use a small skillet for frying. This allows you to use less oil and keep the plantain pieces submerged. When the oil is hot, fry the plantains for 3 minutes and then transfer them to paper towels.

a dozen pieces of sliced green plantain frying in oil in a small cast iron skillet

a dozen pieces of sliced fried green plantain draining on paper towels

To Flatten

There are many different ways to flatten plantains including using a Tostonera (plantain masher) specifically designed for this task. Here's a simple technique using plastic wrap and a cutting board. It works like a charm.

Place two layers of plastic wrap - one on top of the other - on your countertop or on a large cutting board.
Lift up the top layer, position one piece of fried plantain on the bottom layer and re-cover.
Place a cutting board over the plantain and press down hard with both hands.

one small round disc of sliced plantain on a granite countertop green between two layers of plastic wrap

a small wooden cutting board hovering over a small slice of green plantain that's sitting on a countertop

Fold back the top layer of plastic wrap and put one hand under the bottom layer to lift the flattened plantain and set it aside.
Repeat with the remaining plantains.

These frying and flattening steps can be done ahead of time.

one flattened fried piece of green plantain being lifted off a piece of saran wrap

a dozen flatted fried green plantain chips on a paper towel

The Second Fry

Because patacones are best served hot right from the pan, the second and final fry should be done right before serving.

Fry the patacones for three minutes, flipping them over half way through so they brown evenly.
Remove them from the oil with slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
Sprinkle them with salt while they're still oily.
Transfer them to a small bowl or platter and serve hot with guacamole or salsa.

5 patacones frying in a small cast iron skillet

a dozen fried, salted patacones on a paper towel

Here are are couple of questions you might have about this recipe

What's the difference between patacones and tostones?

There is no difference other than the name. Some Latin American countries - such as Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Peru, call this dish patacones. Other countries, such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, call them tostones.

Do I have to use green plantains to make patacones?

Yes. For patacones (or tostones), you need to use unripe plantains - the greener the better. The high starch level in unripe plantains will give you the desired crunchy texture. As plantains ripen their starch turns to sugar. If you fry ripe plantains you will get soft sweet caramelized maduros - still very delicious, but a whole different thing.

How to Eat Patacones

Patacones can be served as an appetizer or side dish. There are so many delicious ways to enjoy them. Here are just a few:

Puerto Rican Style with garlicky aioli
Dominican style with fried salami
Cuban style with mojo sauce
Colombian style as a side dish with fish

My favorite way to serve patacones is to pile them into a small bowl or serving platter and surround them with delicious dips and toppings such as guacomole, salsa or ceviche.

If you try this patacones recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!