Fried Green Tomatoes are a taste of true Southern comfort. Juicy, green garden tomato slices coated in cornmeal, and fried to crunchy golden-brown perfection. Perfect as an appetizer, or an afternoon snack. They taste amazing when dipped in Spicy Creole Remoulade, or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.
Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
Fried Green Tomatoes
Equipment
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- 3 shallow dishes
- wire whisk
- large skillet or Dutch oven
- baking sheet
- paper towels
Ingredients
- 3 green tomatoes – medium sized, firm
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning – optional
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup white cornmeal
- ½ cup bread crumbs – unflavored
- ¼ cup oil – peanut, canola, or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Pick fresh green tomatoes from the garden. Choose tomatoes that are round and unblemished. I'm using green Alice's Dream heirloom tomatoes here.
- Cut unpeeld tomatoes into ½ inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt. Let the salted tomato slices stand for 5 minutes.
- In three separate shallow dishes, place the flour and Cajun seasoning (if using), buttermilk and egg, and the breadcrumbs and cornmeal. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil to 325℉ over medium heat.
- Dredge the tomato slices in the seasoned flour.
- Dip the floured slices into the egg wash, and roll them in the cornmeal mixture.
- Fry half of the breaded slices at a time, for 3 to 5 minutes on each site, or until golden brown.
- Remove the cooked tomatoes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain.
- Serve hot dipped in Spicy Creole Remoulade
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Garden Tomatoes
If you are a tomato gardener, you know that all of your tomatoes seem to come up at the same time. You have so many tomatoes that you need to get creative with how to use them. You don’t want to let any of those beautiful tomatoes got to waste!
I have learned to pick my tomatoes just when they begin to blush. The bugs, birds, and squirrels are attracted to the red color. If you don’t pick them early, they will gobble them up in a hurry!
Green garden tomatoes are perfect for making Fried Green Tomatoes! It’s a great way to use the surplus tomatoes from a big harvest.
Oils for frying
Peanut Oil
Peanut oil creates a crispy, crunchy coating. It has a neutral flavor that will not detract from the flavors in your fried foods, and it has a long shelf life. But, it can be expensive and some folks have peanut allergies. In this case, Canola or Vegetable oil will work fine.
Canola Oil
Canola has a high level of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. It is an affordable, all-purpose cooking oil with a neutral flavor. Canola oil is extracted from Canola plant seeds. But, it breaks down after frying so it should only be used once.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oils are affordable and neutral in flavor, but their content is ambiguous. The label ‘Vegetable Oil’ is generically applied to blends of oils derived from vegetables, such as soybean, sunflower, corn, palm, or safflower. So it’s kind of like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.
Sauces
Fried Green Tomatoes taste great when dipped into Spicy Creole Remoulade or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. I have included the recipes below, if you want to try to make these yummy sauces.
Spices
I like to mix Cajun or Creole spice blends into my flour before dredging the tomatoes. Tony Chachere’s spice blends are always a good option. Otherwise some salt and pepper, and maybe a pinch of cayenne pepper would do just fine.
Variations
On a whim, I battered and fried some green tomato slices with my Asian Fried Chicken batter.
They were truly delicious!
I did the same thing with some sliced green garden bell peppers. I’m definitely on to something here!
Related Recipes
Spicy Creole Remoulade
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Bacon Green Tomato Melt
Asian Fried Chicken
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