It’s summer, and that means the tomatoes are ripening. But why just eat them raw? Fried green tomatoes are a delicious way to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Follow this recipe guide to make sure you have everything you need on hand before getting started with this classic Southern dish!
To make fried green tomatoes, you’ll need the following ingredients and equipment:
- Ingredients:
- Green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices. You can use a mandolin or a knife to slice the tomatoes and make them uniform in size.
- Flour for dredging (1 cup per 2 pounds of tomatoes)
- Salt and black pepper to taste (1 teaspoon each)
- Cayenne pepper or cayenne powder, optional but recommended (1/2 teaspoon per pound)
1 cup all-purpose flour
- In a food processor, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Pulse until combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons of ground cumin, 2 tablespoons paprika (or smoked paprika), 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional). The spices will be very fragrant at this point! If you don’t have access to a food processor or want an even finer texture for your dredge mix, use a fork instead of pulsing it in the processor–it should still work just fine this way!
- Pour buttermilk into another bowl; beat eggs with a fork until blended; set aside both bowls near your cutting board where you’ll be working with them later on during frying time as well!
1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup flour, divided
- 2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup water (for batter)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is a spicy pepper that’s used in many recipes. It’s also used as a medicine, made from the fruit of the capsicum plant. It contains vitamins C and A, which are important for your health!
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
A little black pepper can go a long way. If you’re looking to kick up the flavor of your fried green tomatoes, adding some pepper is an easy way to do it.
Pepper is actually a spice that comes from the peppercorn plant–a small fruit that grows on trees, which are then dried and ground into tiny pieces called peppercorns (or just “pepper”). Peppercorns have been used for centuries as both medicine and food; they’re also one of the oldest known spices in existence! They contain many nutrients like vitamin C, manganese and iron; however, due to their high concentration of capsaicinoids (the chemical compounds found in peppers), consuming too much black pepper may cause digestive distress for some people if eaten raw or uncooked.
2 large eggs, beaten
- Eggs are a traditional ingredient in fried green tomatoes.
- Beat the eggs before adding them to the flour mixture, until they are well blended and fluffy.
2 cups buttermilk or whole milk
- 2 cups buttermilk or whole milk
- The first step to making fried green tomatoes is to soak your slices in buttermilk. This will tenderize the tomatoes and help them stay moist when cooking. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use whole milk instead–but it’s not quite as good!
4 large green tomatoes, cut into thick slices (about 10 to 12 ounces)
- Use a serrated knife to cut the tomatoes into slices that are 1/2 inch thick.
- Put the tomatoes on your cutting board and use a sharp knife to make them into thick slices.
- You should end up with about 10 to 12 ounces of tomato slices, which is enough for 4 people.
Vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying (about 2 inches deep in your pot)
You will need a deep fryer or pot with at least 2 inches of oil. A thermometer can be helpful, but you’ll know when it’s hot enough because the water in the tomato will start to bubble furiously when submerged in hot oil. Don’t overcrowd your tomatoes; they won’t cook properly if they’re touching each other.
Although there’s plenty of work involved in making fried green tomatoes, it’s a summertime tradition you’ll be proud to master.
Although there’s plenty of work involved in making fried green tomatoes, it’s a summertime tradition you’ll be proud to master. You can use this recipe to make a lot of fried green tomatoes at once.
Conclusion
With these tips, you’ll be able to make fried green tomatoes like a pro! If you have any questions about the process, don’t hesitate to reach out. We hope this guide helps bring some of the magic back into your kitchen as well as onto your plate.
