How to Peel and Fry Green Plantains

Fried Plantains are Platanos at Our House

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to go to Colombia and visit family. While we were there we had lots of platanos or plantains. I loved them. I have craved them since I came home.

I decided I would share my new platanos skills with you and show you how to peel, cut, and cook plantains. But first, let’s answer a very common question:

Is a Plantain a Banana?

Plantains are different than bananas, however, plantains and bananas look a lot alike and they both grow on a palm type of tree.

The difference is that plantains are usually bigger and you usually find them green in the grocery store. Also, plantains have a starchy taste and really are not good when eaten raw. They sweeten as they ripen, but I prefer the green ones.

How to Make Fried Plantains

How to Peel Plantains

Plantain skin is a lot thicker than banana skin, so you can’t just peel it off with ease. However, once you know the technique for peeling a plantain, it’s pretty easy.

Step 1.

Grab a dull knife or butter knife and cut the ends of the plantain off. Try to get just below the stem and just above the bottom so you don’t waste any yummy platanos.

Step 2.

There should be a ridge running lengthwise on the plantain, find it. Then, insert the knife under the ridge and cut along the plantain lengthwise.

Step 3.

Find another ridge on your plantain and do the same thing you did in step 2.

Step 4.

Peel what skin you can from the plantain, and repeat the steps until you’ve removed it all completely.

How to Fry Plantains

Now that you’ve peeled your plantains, it’s time to fry them!

Step 1.

Start by heating about 1-inch deep of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Step 2.

Slice your plantains into even slices.

Step 3.

Place your plantain slices in the oil and cook each side for about a minute. Watch them carefully as they cook, they’ll change color slightly when they’re ready.

Step 4.

Once one side is done, flip the slices with a fork or heat resistance turner. Fry the backside just like the front, then remove them from the hot oil.

Finishing Your Fried Plantains

Now all that’s left to do is to flatten your plantain slices, fry them a bit more, and then add some salt and serve.

To flatten them, use a Tostonero or plantain press (I used a mug because I don’t have either of those). Once they’re flattened, put them back into the oil and fry for another minute.

Then, remove them from the oil, add some salt, and serve as a side dish with guacamole or salsa.

Enjoy This Tasty Side Dish!

I hope you enjoy fried plantains as much as I do! This is a perfect recipe for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

My friend from Mexico told me that he likes to wait for the plantains to get sweeter and then cook them then he drizzles sweetened condensed milk or cream on top and eats it more like a dessert rather than a side dish. Sounds yummy but I haven’t tried it yet.

How to Peel and Fry Green Plantains

Learn how to peel plantains and then fry them to make a delicious side dish or snack!

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Print Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Serves: 4

Adjust Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 Plantains
• Oil vegetable or canola
• Salt

Instructions

Peeling Plantains:

• Use a dull table knife or butter knife to cut the plantains skin.
• Cut off each end of the plantain, just below the stem and just above the bottom of the plantain.
• Find the a ridge running length wise on the plantain.
• Insert the knife under the ridge and cut length wise along the plantain.
• Find another ridge and cut length wise along that ridge too.
• Peel the skin from the plantain. Repeat until the skin is removed

Frying Plantains:

• Heat oil about 1 inch deep in a skillet on the stove over medium heat.
• Slice plantains in equally even slices.
• Place in hot oil and cook on one side for about a minute watching carefully for a slight change in color.
• Flip the plantain slices with a fork or heat resistant turner.
• Fry on the back side. Remove from the hot oil.

Flatten Plantains:

• Use a Plantain Press or Tostonera to smash the plantains. I used a mug because I did not have one of these cool tools yet.
• Put back into the oil and fry for another minute.
• Remove from oil and salt.
• Serve as a side dish.
• Dip in guacamole or salsa.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g