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Fried Green Tomatoes
I found some wonderful looking Heirloom green tomatoes in my local store today and had always had on my cooking bucket list to make them. Yes, turn on the TV and watch “Fried Green Tomatoes” – in the interest of time (and preserving human life) I skipped the barbecue sauce! I do not recommend making it anyway – it tasted funny (sorry bad line from the Cannibal who ate a clown joke)… I digress. Fried Green Tomatoes, I discovered are NOT made with breadcrumbs! Nor are they dipped in egg first (so my good AL friend tells me – it is ALWAYS buttermilk and cornmeal), so I made them twice. Once with breadcrumbs and once with cornmeal. The cornmeal ones were much crisper and had a great flavor, but I have to say that the breadcrumb version was also quite edible – I don’t think the Fried Green Tomato police will knock on your door like they did mine (just don’t post it on FB!) hehe Also for an even more authentic Southern flavor, fry in bacon grease.
Here is a picture of the beautiful Heirloom Tomatoes I found at my local market:
Fried Green Tomatoes
- 3 green tomatoes (or very firm red ones if you cannot find green ones), sliced 1/8″ thick
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- a few dashes of Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, optional
- Vegetable oil (or bacon grease), for frying
Preparation:
Pour the buttermilk in one small bowl and add Tabasco Sauce to season it. Pour the cornmeal into another shallow bowl and stir in Cajun seasoning if you like the extra kick of spice.
Dip the tomato slices first in the buttermilk and then roll in cornmeal. Place on a paper plate.
Heat vegetable oil in a non stick skillet (1/8 inch deep) over medium high heat. When the oil is heated carefully add the breaded tomato slices to the oil, being careful not to splatter yourself. When the tomato slice is golden brown on the one side, flip them over carefully to fry the other side to a golden brown (about 2 minutes each side). Remove the fried tomatoes to a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool a little. Serve with sauce (I used Ranch, but maybe you know a better sauce that is traditional with friend green tomatoes.) Enjoy.
Goodcookbecky's Blog 
July 27, 2012 at 9:30 am
Traditional preparation of fried green tomatoes begins by cutting the tomatoes into approximately 1/4-inch (~1 cm) slices. They are then seasoned with salt and pepper, coated with plain, coarse cornmeal , and shallow fried in bacon fat for a few minutes each side, or until golden brown. Shallow frying is preferred, as the tomatoes do not float in the oil, which allows the weight of the tomato to press the cornmeal to the underside of the tomato. This negates the need for a ‘wash’ (see below).
August 12, 2012 at 9:56 pm
We were at the farmers market this weekend and my husband picked up some green tomatoes to be fried. I never made them before, so I looked up a recipe online. We made them tonight, and they were great. I didn’t have any bread crumbs or cornmeal, so I crushed some vegetable Ritz crackers and they were great. Thanks!