Tostones with Avocado Crema – Whole30, Paleo

I’ve shared my recipe for Tostones before. What’s new is the Avocado Crema! It’s creamy, delicious and super easy to make.

The combination makes a great side dish for my Picadillo, Ropa Vieja or Mojo Pork.

The Secrets To Delicious Tostones

1. Tostones are made with green plantains. The green colour refers to the skin, not the flesh. The dark, almost black-skinned plantains are used for making Maduros, or sweet plantains, which are absolutely divine but a different side dish altogether.
2. Tostones are double-fried. This is a very necessary step that you cannot skip. You must first lightly fry or blanch the plantains in hot oil and then smash them before sending them back to the skillet for a second oil bath. The first fry is to soften the plantains so that they can be smashed without crumbling apart. The second fry is to crisp the plantains with the newly exposed surface area.
3. Use high-heat stable cooking oil, such as coconut oil or avocado oil. Coconut oil adds a mild flavour that you may or may not want imparted into your tostones. Personally, I love it. An equally good alternative is avocado oil, which has a high smoking point and is neutral in flavour. I recently noticed that Costco sells Avocado oil at a very reasonable price. You may want to look into that as an option.
4. You can shallow-fry or deep-fry. The latter will require more oil than necessary, which again means a higher cost. You will also likely toss all of the oil afterwards so I don’t advise deep frying. Instead, grab a skillet and shallow fry. You will. however, require enough oil to come at least halfway up the side of the frying plantains. Some of the oil will be absorbed by the plantains with each batch of cooking so be sure to keep an eye on the oil levels and top-up as required.

Tostones with Avocado Crema

Crispy Tostones are a delicious, Whole30 and Paleo side dish for just about everything! Even better when dipped in a bit of this Avocado Crema!

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Course Side Dish

Cuisine Cuban

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  

for the Tostones

• 2 green plantains
• 1/2 cup avocado oil – possibly more depending on size of plantains

for the Avocado Crema

• 1/2 cup compliant mayonnaise
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1 clove garlic - finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 lime - juiced
• kosher salt to taste

Instructions

 

for the Avocado Crema

• Add all ingredients to a wide-mouth mason jar. Blend until smooth and creamy with an immersion blender (or use a food processor). Taste for seasoning and adjust salt or lime juice as required.

for the Tostones

• Preheat a cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, peel the plantains and cut into 1" discs on a bias.
• Add 1/4 cup of oil to pan and carefully place plantain slices in hot oil. Fry 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer par-cooked plantains to a tray lined with paper towel. Using the bottom of a cup or ramekin, gently smash each of the plantains into discs.
• Return the smashed plantains back to the oil and fry for an additional 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy.
• Transfer fried tostones to the tray lined with paper towel and season with coarse sea salt. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200F oven until ready to serve.

Keyword avocado crema, tostones