Jibaritos are steak sandwiches on fried plantains instead of bread, stuffed with ingredients commonly found in traditional Puerto Rican dishes.
In this recipe
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Chicago origins
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Classic Puerto Rican flavors
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Tostones instead of bread
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toppings
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variations
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Try these popular Puerto Rican recipes
The Jibarito Sandwich is a hunger buster filled with garlic and lime marinated ribeye steak and topped with popular sandwich toppings like juicy tomatoes, slaw and onions. Its uniqueness comes from its ‘bun’, which is made from two large tostones – twice-fried green plantains. A mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup, known as mayo ketchup, is representative of traditional condiments typically found on sandwiches like this one.
Jibarito sandwiches originated in Chicago
Jibaritos are a Chicago recipe with ties to Puerto Rico. Juan “Peter” Figueroa created this plantain steak sandwich at his Borinquen Restaurant, located in the Puerto Rican enclave of Humboldt Park in Chicago, Illinois. He used ingredients common to traditional Puerto Rican dishes and combined them into a hearty sandwich, which he then named after Puerto Rico’s beloved country people: Jibaros.
Classic flavors in Jibarito sandwiches
Puerto Rican cuisine is known for its vibrant and bold flavors. The steak for these jibaritos is marinated in a lime and garlic marinade that’s popular in Puerto Rican recipes. Allow the steak to marinate for at least 1 hour before pan-frying to bring out the best flavor in your sandwiches, but no longer than 12 hours (or overnight) as it tends to get tough when done being marinated for too long.
Adobo is an all-purpose seasoning that adds tons of flavor to your dishes with minimal effort. It is a salt-based spice blend with strong notes of garlic, onion, pepper and cumin. You can make your own at home or buy them pre-made in bottles. It is usually found in the Hispanic food section of the grocery store.
The base of a Jibarito: Tostones
One of the key components in a jibarito sandwich is the lack of a traditional bun. Rather than using bread to pack the rich fillings, the sandwich is made with thick, twice-fried green plantains called tostones.
Plantains are the larger, starchier cousins of yellow bananas. Usually they are sold individually, not in bundles. Choosing the perfect plantains for this recipe is easier than you might think: look for light green plantains that are as firm as a potato when pressed. If your plantains are a bit yellow on the peel that’s fine, just avoid ones that have turned mostly yellow or black as they will be too sweet and soft for this recipe.
Jibarito sandwich toppings
The most popular toppings for jibaritos are green lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayo ketchup. Cheese is added at will, but my family of cheese lovers can’t go without a few slices of mozzarella or gouda on our jibaritos.
You might want to add some of these to your sandwiches:
- Crunchy dill or slices of bread and butter pickles
- Ripe avocado slices
- Potato Matchstick Chips (found in the chip section of the grocery store)
- Some spiciness in the form of hot sauce or a spicy relish
Jibarito sandwich variations
Jibarito sandwiches are a three-napkin (or more) type of meal. Things can get a little messy when eating out, which is why I prefer to prepare mine with whole ribeye steaks rather than sliced meat. If you prefer the sliced version, you can replace the ribeyes in this recipe with a flank steak, cooked to medium and cut across the grain.
Some other meat options:
- skirt steak
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- Sliced roast beef
For a vegetarian version des Jibaritos, consider marinating portobello mushrooms or jackfruit with this recipe marinade before cooking.
Try these popular Puerto Rican recipes
- Pastelón (Plantain Lasagna)
- Bacalao Guisado (cod stew)
- Salmorejo (braised crab with tomato and rice)
- Trembleque (coconut pudding)
- Recaito (Green Cooking Base)
Jibarito sandwich
Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the temperature of your finished steaks.
This recipe calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons of adobo seasoning. Feel free to use 1 tablespoon for a lower sodium option.
ingredients
For the marinade and the steak
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Juice of 3 medium Lemons (Above 1/3 Cup)
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1/4 Cup vegetable oil
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4 Garlic clovesmashed into a paste
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1 1/2 tablespoon Adobe (homemade or bought)
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2 teaspoon onion powder
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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1 teaspoon ground cumin
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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2 lb boneless, thinly sliced Ribeye steaks (about 4 thinly sliced steaks)
For the mayo ketchup
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1/2 Cup mayonnaise
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1/3 Cup Ketchup
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juice from 1 lime (Above 1 1/2 teaspoon)
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1 teaspoon granulated garlic
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3/4 teaspoon Adobe (or kosher salt)
For the jibarito sandwich
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4 Middle green plantains
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vegetable oilfor frying plantains
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4 to 8th slices mozzarella cheese
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Green lettuce leaves
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1 ripe beef tomatocut
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1/2 Red onionthinly sliced into rings
method
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Preparation of the steak marinade:
In a mason jar, combine lime juice, vegetable oil, garlic paste, adobo, onion powder, oregano, cumin, and black pepper. Screw the lid on tightly and shake the jar vigorously for 40 seconds to 1 minute until the ingredients are well combined.
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Marinate steaks:
Pour the marinade into a shallow dish or sturdy ziplock storage bag. Place the ribeye steaks in the marinade, turning each to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
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Mix the mayo ketchup:
In a 1 liter mixing bowl, mix together mayonnaise, ketchup, lime juice, granulated garlic and adobo until smooth.
Cover the mixing bowl and place the mayo ketchup in the fridge until ready to make the sandwiches. The mayo ketchup can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
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Peel and cut plantains:
20 minutes before you plan to sear the steaks, peel the plantains by slicing 1/2 inch off each end to remove the stems. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut a slit down the back of the plantain. Use the fleshy part of your thumb to push up on the skin to remove it from the plantain.
Once the plantain is peeled, cut it in half lengthways. Repeat with the remaining plantains.
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Prepare your fry station:
In a 12-inch skillet, fill pan with 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat.
While you wait for the oil to heat up, set up a draining station by placing a cooling rack over a sheet pan or lining a sheet pan with paper towels to soak up the frying oil.
Set your oven on “warm” to keep the tostones in when you’re done frying.
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Fry the plantains:
Once the oil reaches 330°F, or small bubbles form around the handle of a wooden spoon as you drop it into the oil, add 4 sheets of plantains (you’ll cook these in two batches).
Fry the plantains for 2 minutes, then gently flip them over with tongs. Fry the plantains for an additional 2 minutes, or until the tip of a knife slides in and out of the plantain without resistance. Use tongs to remove the plantains from the oil and place them on the sheet pan to absorb any excess oil.
Repeat with the second batch of plantains.
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Taking steaks out of the fridge:
Before you mash the plantains, take the steaks out of the fridge to let them come to a little room temperature.
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Mash plantains:
Increase the oil in the skillet to medium-high heat while you mash the plantains.
Place the plantain sheet on a cutting board and place a piece of parchment or wax paper over it. Using a heavy skillet (a cast-iron skillet works well), press the plantain to mash it to a thickness of 1/3 inch.
Slide a knife or thin spatula to separate the bottom of the plantain from the cutting board and place it back on the rack.
Mash the remaining plantains until they are all flat.
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Fry the plantains:
Once the oil in the pan has reached 180°C, return the flattened plantains to the oil to fry a second time. You’ll need to work in batches of 2 or 3 to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Fry the plantains for 2 minutes on each side or until the edges are lightly browned and the outsides are crisp.
Use tongs to remove the tostones from the oil and set them on the rack to drain while you fry the remaining plantains.
Once all of the tostones are fried, place the sheet pan in the oven to keep warm while you sear the steaks.
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Sear Steaks:
Heat a 12-inch or larger skillet over medium-high heat. As soon as heat radiates from the pan, pour in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Carefully place the steaks in the pan and use your fingers or tongs to press them down onto the surface of the pan. This contact ensures even searing. Sear the meat for 4 minutes (for medium-rare). Use tongs to turn the steaks over and cook for another 4 minutes.
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Rest steaks:
Remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest for 5 minutes.
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Assemble the jibarito sandwiches:
Assemble the sandwiches by spreading 1 1/2 tablespoons of mayo ketchup on top of each tostón. Place a slice of cheese on the bottom of 4 tostones, followed by 1 piece of steak, a lettuce leaf, two slices of tomato and some slices of onion. Top this with another slice of cheese and cover with the top tostón.
Serve the jibarito immediately.
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| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 1179 | calories |
| 70g | Fat |
| 89g | carbohydrates |
| 59g | protein |
