Caribbean Tostones Appetizer Recipe

Go straight down to the recipe

Caribbean Tostones Appetizer Recipe

If you have an interest in Caribbean food you should definitely try this Caribbean tostones appetizer recipe because tostones are a staple all over the Caribbean. While other dishes and flavors tend to shift according to what European power had control over the island in the last couple centuries, tostones are pretty much the same on all the Caribbean islands. They are made from green plantains, a direct relative of the banana. However, plantains are not very sweet and need to be cooked before eating. They are used throughout the Caribbean islands as a vegetable or a starch rather than a fruit.

This Caribbean tostones appetizer recipe can also be made with yellow (ripe) plantains, they will just be slightly sweeter than with green ones. On all of the Spanish speaking Caribbean islands, tostones made with ripe plantains are called “amarillas” instead of tostones. Tostones are usually pressed flat half-way through cooking and amarillas are not, that’s really the only difference.

Perhaps the nicest thing about this Caribbean tostones appetizer recipe is that you will never find an easier one – it’s foolproof. Your tostones will be ready in a few minutes; very little prep work and no difficult cooking skills needed.

Caribbean Tostones appretizer recipe ingredients

3 green plantains (if you can only find ripe ones, it’s not a problem)
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt
Hot chilis powder

Optional Dip for Caribbean tostones appetizer recipe

½ cup plain yogurt

2 tspns hot chili sauce

A few slices of mango

Tostones Recipe Preparation:

Plantains are not easy to peel like bananas, the peel tends to stick to the flesh and if you try to just break the end off and peel them like a banana you’ll end up with a mess.

Cut both ends off, then run a knife the length of the plantain, cutting through the peel only. Make a few lengthwise slits like this through the peel, then carefully peel it away from the flesh.

Cut the plantain into ? inch slices (you can do them straight across or angle your cuts to get a bigger tostone). Many restaurants even cut their plantains in half or in three, then slice each piece lengthwise to make a longer (rectangular) tostone. Whatever you like, it’s up to you.

Heat up your vegetable oil to about 350 degrees. If you’re doing it in a pan your oil should be about ? inch deep. You can also do them in a deep fryer if you have one.

Fry the tostones for two or three minutes, just until they’re soft. Remove them from the oil and drain on a couple paper towels. Now it’s time to press them flat! Traditionally a “tostonera” (plantain press) is used for this purpose. However, if you’re looking at a tostones recipe, you probably don’t have a tostonera. Place a couple paper towels over the spread out plantains and press each one down to about half its thickness. You can use a plate or anything flat to press them – I prefer to use the butt of my hand (you get more control and it’s way faster).

Put the plantains back in the oil and fry until crispy (about 5 minutes). Remove from the oil and drain again.

Sprinkle with salt or you can dust them with hot chili powder if you want to spice ‘em up a bit.

These tostones can be served hot or cold, which ever you prefer!

Optional Tostones Dip

I make this easy dip to go with this Caribbean tostones appetizer recipe. We throw it together in a few seconds we’re making Caribbean party food and people love it! Mix together ½ cup of plain yogurt, a couple tablespoons of mashed mango and a couple teaspoons of hot chili sauce (to taste). You want it to have a little heat behind it, but not overpower the dish. If you don’t have mango, you can substitute any other Caribbean fruit (papaya, pineapple, banana).

I hope you enjoy this Caribbean appetizer recipe and feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.

Watch a video of our Caribbean Tostones-appetizer-recipe

More like our Caribbean Tostones Appetizer Recipe