Ever since I was a little girl I remember my mom making Fritos, which is how Dominicans call fried plantains. Fritos are pretty much the Caribbean version of a french fry. If you go to Puerto Rico or another Caribbean island you might here fried plantains called Tostones. Every island has their own way of describing fried plantains, but we all enjoy them since they grow naturally on our islands.
How to Eat Fritos
Fritos, tostones, or fried plantains are an amazing side dish to compliment any dish. You can eat Fritos just how you eat french fries with a dash of salt and ketchup. It’s a great addition to your meals since kids and adults both love them. In the Dominican Republic, Fritos are a side complement to pasta, rice and meat, and even vegan meals.
Another great thing about plantains is that if your green plantain ripens and turns yellow you can still use them. The only difference is that the yellow plantain turns sweet and is an ideal side dish for breakfast or lunch. So nothing is lost until the plantain is old and turns black like any other banana. Also, since the ripen plantain is softer you don’t have to smash them when frying. You just have to cook until golden brown and a little crispy on both sides.
Ingredients
- Green Plantain
- Something to mush
- Oil for Frying
- Dash of Salt
Fritos Recipe
- The first thing you want to do is start heating up your oil to fry. Make sure you have at least ½ inch of oil to fully fry each side of the plantain.
- Then you want to do is cut the ends off the plantain and cut the plantain in half vertically.
- To easily cut, run the knife down the sides of the plantain two times to peel the plantain.
- Then cut the plantain in 1-inch cubes, this will make about 6 cubes for 1 plantain.
- Next up you want to gently place all the plantain cubes into your frying pan with medium heat.
- After 2 minutes you’ll turn the plantain cube to the other side to fry for another 2 minutes. You want to fry them to just get a light golden coating.
- Then you want to place them on a plate with a paper towel, while you start smashing your plantains.
- I highly recommend to get a plantain smasher if you like this recipe, but you can put some plastic wrap under any circular object to smash the plantains. Ex: wine bottle, plate, cup, etc.
- You then smash the plantains and dip them back into the frying pan.
- The plantains will now start to brown into a medium golden tone and then you need to flip them to the other side.
- Once your plantains are fully fried, place on a plate with a fresh paper towel to catch excess oil.
- Then add a dash of salt for taste and enjoy as a side dish to compliment any dish.
