The 3 Best Ways to Cook Plantains
Plantains are a fantastic ingredient in sweet or savory dishes, whether as a side dish, appetizer or snack. Here are 3 of the easiest, most versatile methods that also happen to be healthy recipes.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For pan-fried plantains:
- 2-4 plantains, mostly yellow (some black is fine, they just shouldn't be all black)
- ¼ cup avocado oil, coconut oil or your favorite cooking fat
- sea salt
For steamed plantains:
- 2-4 plantains, green to yellow-ish
- sea salt
Twice-Fried Plantains (Tostones)
- 2 plantains, anywhere from green to yellow with some black (just not too much black as they'll be too soft)
- ½ cup avocado oil, coconut oil or your favorite cooking fat
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
For the pan-fried plantains:
- Trim off the ends of the plantains. Then cut down the plantain lengthwise, pressing the blade just deep enough to cut open the skin without piercing the flesh underneath too much. Pull off the skin and discard. Slice the plantains into approx. 1/4" coins.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the plantains, sprinkle with salt and cook for about 3-5 minutes. When you see the bottoms getting brown around the edges, lift one up to check. If it's a dark golden brown, they're ready to flip.
- Flip the slices, sprinkle with salt and let cook for another 3-5 minutes, again looking for the bottom edges to get brown. Remove from the pan and sprinkle with salt.You might have to do this in batches, depending on how many plantains you have and how big your skillet is.
For steamed plantains:
- Trim off the ends of the plantains. Cut the plantains in half crosswise.
- Now make an incision lengthwise through just the skin of the plantain without pressing into the flesh. Make sure the incision doesn't run the whole length of the plantain. Leave the skin attached at the ends.
- Now also cut a very small incision through just the skin crosswise in the middle of the plantain. (See blog post for pictures)
- Fill a saucepan with about an inch of water and place over medium heat. Add a steamer basket.
- Arrange the plantains in the basket, stacking them where necessary. Cover the pan and cook for about20-25 minutes. The plantains should have expanded in the heat (some might have even burst through the peel, which is fine).
- Remove with tongs and let cool slightly. Snip away the peels, slice the plantains into coins and season with salt.
For the twice-fried plantains (tostones):
- First, trim off the ends of the plantains. Then cut down the plantain lengthwise, pressing the blade just deep enough to cut open the skin without piercing the flesh underneath too much. Pull off the skin and discard. Slice the plantain crosswise into 1" segments.
- Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat (not too hot, we still have to cook the plantains a second time).
- Add the plantains and cook until lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the plantains to a cutting board.
- Increase the heat under the skillet to medium high.
- Use a spatula or the bottom of a glass to press down on the plantains until they're about 1/4" thick. Add the plantains back to the oil and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove to a cutting board or plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
Notes
See post for serving ideas.
Make ahead and storage
Pan-fried plantains and twice-fried plantains are best eaten immediately. However, all 3 types of plantains can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Please note that the twice-fried plantains will some of their crispness over time.
For the pan-fried plantains and twice-fried plantains, reheat by quickly frying both sides of the slices in oil in a skillet over medium heat. The tostones will probably not be as crisp as they were originally.
The steamed plantains can be reheated in the microwave or in a low oven.
You can also freeze the steamed plantains and twice-fried plantains. Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until frozen, about 1 hour. Then store in a freezer-safe container or baggie for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat as directed above.
I do not recommend freezing the pan-fried plantains.
You can also freeze raw, peeled plantains for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.