Patacones (Twice-Fried Green Plantains)
Photo: Jonathan Castañeda / Unsplash
Green plantain rounds fried until tender, smashed flat and fried again until golden and crackling at the edges. Salted while hot and served with hogao or guacamole — the essential Colombian side.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Peel and cut
Cut off the ends of the plantains, slit the skin lengthways and peel it away. Cut into 4cm-thick rounds.
First fry
Heat the oil to 160°C. Fry the plantain rounds for 5–6 minutes, turning, until soft right through and pale golden. Drain on paper towels.
Smash
While still warm, flatten each piece to about 1cm thick with a pataconera, the bottom of a plate or between two sheets of baking paper. Dip briefly in the garlic water for extra flavour, then pat dry.
Second fry
Raise the oil to 185°C and fry the flattened patacones for 2–3 minutes until deep golden and crisp at the edges.
Salt and serve
Drain, sprinkle with salt immediately and serve hot with hogao or guacamole.
Peel and cut
Cut off the ends of the plantains, slit the skin lengthways and peel it away. Cut into 4cm-thick rounds.
First fry
Heat the oil to 160°C. Fry the plantain rounds for 5–6 minutes, turning, until soft right through and pale golden. Drain on paper towels.
Smash
While still warm, flatten each piece to about 1cm thick with a pataconera, the bottom of a plate or between two sheets of baking paper. Dip briefly in the garlic water for extra flavour, then pat dry.
Second fry
Raise the oil to 185°C and fry the flattened patacones for 2–3 minutes until deep golden and crisp at the edges.
Salt and serve
Drain, sprinkle with salt immediately and serve hot with hogao or guacamole.
The Story Behind the Dish
Plantains arrived in the Americas with the Spanish and were embraced along Colombia's Caribbean and Pacific coasts, where Afro-Colombian cooks made them a staple. Twice-frying turns starchy green plantain into something crisp and irresistible.
Today patacones appear beside fried fish on the coast, under toppings as 'patacón con todo', and next to almost every lunch plate in the country.
⭐ Why It's Famous
They're the Colombian answer to fries — crunchy outside, soft inside and endlessly versatile.
💡 Fun Fact
The tool used to flatten them, the pataconera, is a common gadget in Colombian kitchens — but a heavy plate works just as well.
Caribbean coast & Pacific region
10.39°N, -75.48°W
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