Crispy twice-fried green plantains, fried in pastured lard and piled high with either classic guacamole and pico de gallo or a sweet-tart tropical mango guacamole. A perfect midday snack or shareable plate.
Yield: Serves 4 (the tropical guacamole is retreat scale, for about 12) · Active: 35 min · Total: 45 min · Season: Best in tropical regions year-round, when plantains, avocados, and mango are always in season · Best eaten: midday
Ingredients
For the patacones
6–8 green (unripe) plantains, locally grown when possible
1 cup pastured lard, for frying
Sea salt, to taste
For the classic guacamole
2 ripe avocados
2 tbsp finely diced red onion
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
¼ tsp sea salt
1 small jalapeño, minced (optional)
For the pico de gallo
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
¼ red onion, finely diced
¼ cup fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp sea salt
For the tropical mango guacamole (retreat scale)
8 ripe avocados
1 ripe mango, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
½ red onion, finely diced
½ jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 sour mandarin or 1 lime (or lime juice with a small splash of orange juice)
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ ripe pineapple, diced (optional, for extra tropical sweetness)
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Method
For the patacones
Slice. Peel the plantains and cut them into 1½-inch rounds.
First fry. Heat the lard in a deep skillet over medium heat to 340–360°F (lard’s smoke point is about 370°F, so keep it below that). Fry the rounds 3 minutes per side, until pale gold, then lift out with a slotted spoon and drain.
Smash. Using the bottom of a glass, a flat pan, a tortilla press, or the flat side of a wide knife, smash each round to about ½ inch thick.
Second fry. Return them to the hot lard and fry 2–3 minutes per side, until deeply golden and crisp.
Salt. Drain on paper towels and salt right away while they’re hot.
For the toppings
Classic guacamole and pico. Mash the avocados, leaving some texture, and fold in the onion, cilantro, lime, salt, and jalapeño. Combine the pico ingredients in a small bowl and let them sit 10 minutes for the flavors to meld.
Tropical mango guacamole. Mash the avocados and fold in the mango, tomato, onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, citrus, and pineapple (if using). Season generously with salt and pepper.
To serve
Top and serve. Pile the warm patacones with your guacamole of choice and pico, if using.
Storage
The first fry can be done a few hours ahead; hold the rounds at room temperature and do the second fry just before serving.
Guacamole keeps up to 1 day in the fridge with plastic wrap pressed right onto the surface.
Pico de gallo keeps up to 2 days in the fridge; the flavor improves overnight, though the texture softens.
Season & Circadian Timing
In tropical regions, plantains, avocados, and mango are around all year, which makes patacones an everyday favorite in places like Costa Rica. They’re best at midday or early afternoon, when the sun is high and digestion is strongest, the perfect time for a starchy, satisfying plate. As a late-night snack, they sit heavier.
Nourishment Notes
Green plantains — A source of resistant starch, a fiber that feeds your gut bacteria, plus potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C.
Pastured lard — A stable, traditional frying fat that’s mostly monounsaturated and saturated fat, and lard from pigs raised outdoors in the sun can carry vitamin D.
Avocado — Potassium, folate, vitamin K, and healthy fat that helps you absorb the carotenoids in the tomato and mango.
Tomato and mango — Lycopene from tomato and beta-carotene from mango, both better absorbed alongside fat.
Onion, garlic, lime, and jalapeño — Quercetin from onion, allicin from raw garlic, vitamin C from lime, and capsaicin from jalapeño for a little warming heat.
Sourcing
Tallow / lard / duck fat — from pasture-raised animals, from a local farm or butcher
Salt — unrefined sea salt (Baja Gold); flaky sea salt for finishing (Maldon)
Fruits, vegetables, and herbs — organic, from a farmers’ market or local farm
With Love, Light, and Health,
Anna (aka Food Marshall)