Cornmeal gives a fried green tomatoes recipe a great flavor, color, and crunch that flour alone can’t beat. A creamy dressing or aoli pairs well with fried tomatoes, but this classic southern recipe is tasty enough to stand on it’s own.
What you need for a Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
GREEN TOMATOES
1 cup CORNMEAL (use a medium or fine grind…coarsely ground cornmeal can be a bit much)
1 cup all-purpose FLOUR (divided)
1 EGG
SEASONING (be generous, and use whatever seasonings you like…I prefer Italian seasonings, lots of garlic powder, and black pepper)
SALT
OIL for cooking
How to Cook Fried Green Tomatoes
When I order fried green tomatoes at a restaurant, whether I like them or not will depend largely on the batter. Cornmeal adds that great flavor and crunch that I associate with classic fried tomatoes, and fried tomatoes without cornmeal just fall flat. Buy hard, green tomatoes. They can have a tinge of red, but not too much, because you want them firm enough to cook and not become too soft.
- Slice the green tomatoes to desired width; I like mine about ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the tomato slices out and lightly salt.
- Set up a breading station with 3 flat-bottom bowls.
- In the first bowl place ½ cup of flour. Season the flour as desired, and mix.
- In the second bowl whisk 1 egg and 1 Tbsp of cold water.
- In the third bowl place the other ½ cup of flour and cornmeal. Season the cornmeal and flour as desired, and mix. Check current pricing for cornmeal on Amazon
- Using a paper towel, dry the tomato slices.
- Heat a skillet of oil on medium-low heat. You don’t need a lot of oil, about 1/8 inch deep.
- Take a slice of tomato and on each side bread it lightly in the flour, then coat it in the egg, then bread it one final time in the cornmeal/flour mixture.
- Carefully place the breaded tomato in the skillet. It should sizzle and begin to cook immediately when it hits the oil.
- Cook each tomato 2-3 minutes or until golden brown in color.
- Remove fried tomatoes from the skillet and place on a paper towel to drain for a moment, then serve.
Serve fried green tomatoes hot. Theses tomatoes are good enough to eat plain, or you can accompany them with hot sauce, creamy salad dressing, aoli dressing, or a mild mustard or creamy horseradish dressing. For another easy appetizer side dish recipe, take a look at these Crispy Baked Onion Rings.
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–Chef Buck