Twice-fried, smashed green plantain rounds — golden and crispy, the indispensable Colombian side dish eaten with hogao, guacamole, or black beans.
Patacones — known as tostones in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico — are the most direct expression of the twice-fried plantain technique that spans the entire tropical Americas: green unripe plantains are cut, fried once to soften, smashed flat, then fried a second time to achieve a thin, shatteringly crisp disc with a dense, starchy, slightly sticky interior. Colombia's version, patacones, is particularly associated with the Caribbean coast (Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta) and the Pacific coast, where plantains grow in extraordinary abundance. The critical detail is the plantain must be green — unripe — because at this stage the starch hasn't yet converted to sugar, which would make them sticky and sweet rather than the required neutral, starchy base. A properly made patacón is golden-brown, rigid enough to hold toppings without bending, and subtly salty. Served as a side dish to everything from whole fried fish (pescado frito) to ceviche, topped with hogao (Colombian tomato-onion sauce), or eaten plain with a squeeze of lime, patacones are simultaneously the most humble and the most versatile thing on a Colombian table.
Serves 4
Cut off both ends of each plantain. Score the skin along the ridges with a knife and peel — green plantain skin is much tougher than ripe, so you may need to pry it off. Cut into 3–4 cm rounds.
Heat oil in a deep pot or pan to 160°C. Fry plantain rounds in batches for 4–5 minutes until softened and pale gold but not crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon.
While still hot, place each round between two sheets of parchment paper or in a tostonera (plantain press) and press firmly to flatten to about 6–8 mm thickness. They should spread into rough discs.
Press firmly and evenly — thinner means crispier. Uneven thickness leads to uneven frying.
Briefly dip flattened patacones in lightly salted water with garlic for 30 seconds, then pat completely dry. This adds flavour and helps achieve extra crispiness — a coastal Colombian secret.
Raise oil temperature to 185°C. Fry smashed rounds 2–3 minutes per side until deeply golden and rigid. Drain on paper towels and immediately season with salt.
Sauté onion in oil over medium heat 5 minutes until soft. Add tomatoes, season with salt, and cook 10 minutes until jammy. This is hogao — Colombia's fundamental tomato-onion sauce.
Stack patacones on a plate and top with hogao, guacamole, shredded chicken, or coastal-style with cooked shrimp and lime. Serve immediately while still crispy.
The plantain must be fully green — a yellow-tinged plantain will produce sweet, sticky patacones rather than the neutral starchy base required.
The two-temperature frying method is non-negotiable: the first fry at lower heat cooks the interior; the second at higher heat crisps the exterior. Frying once at high heat burns the outside while leaving the interior raw.
Patacones must be eaten immediately — they soften within 20 minutes. If making for a party, hold them briefly in a 100°C oven between the second fry and serving.
Patacón pisao: the Cartagena street version, smashed extra thin (3–4 mm) for maximum crispiness.
Topped patacón: serve as an open-face tostada topped with pulled pork, guacamole, and pico de gallo.
Twice-fried chips: cut green plantain very thin (use a mandolin) and fry at 180°C for chips (chifles).
Best eaten immediately after the second fry. They cannot be reheated successfully — they become leathery. Cook and serve in the same sitting.
Twice-fried plantain preparations appear across the Caribbean, Central America, and the northern coast of South America — wherever the African culinary tradition of deep-frying plantain met the tropical abundance of plantain. The technique almost certainly arrived with enslaved Africans in the 16th–18th centuries; similar dishes exist in West Africa (alloco in Côte d'Ivoire, kelewele in Ghana). Colombia's patacón is especially associated with the Afro-Colombian coastal communities of Cartagena and the Pacific coast of Chocó.
You can brush smashed rounds with oil and bake at 220°C for 15 minutes per side, but the result is drier and less crispy than the fried version. For a lighter option, an air fryer at 200°C for 10 minutes produces a better approximation.
Patacones use green (unripe) plantains and are fried twice to create a crispy, starchy, savoury disc. Maduros use ripe (yellow or black) plantains and are fried once until caramelised, sweet, and tender — they're almost a dessert side dish.
Peel and cut green plantains, place rounds in cold water with a squeeze of lime to prevent oxidation, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Drain and dry thoroughly before frying.
Per serving (200g / 7.1 oz) · 4 servings total
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