It’s easy to forget about a recipe until the last minute. Then you go to the store, see that it’s missing one key ingredient and make do with what you have on hand. That’s just what happened when I was planning an outdoor barbecue and decided to try making fried green tomatoes for the first time. But when I realized we had no bread crumbs in the house, I had to improvise: cornmeal instead of flour (which ended up working really well), plus a secret ingredient that really made these greens pop!
Ingredients
To make the best fried green tomatoes, you will need:
- 1 dozen green tomatoes (1/2 inch thick slices)
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Preparation
- You’ll need a bowl and colander, a large pot, a small pot and spatula or slotted spoon (you can use any combination of these).
- You’ll also need a cutting board and knife to cut your tomatoes into slices.
- Don’t forget to grab some parchment paper for baking!
Brine the tomatoes
- Add 1/2 cup of salt to a pot and fill it with water.
- Bring this to a boil, then add your green tomatoes and let them sit in the brine for 30 minutes.
- Drain and pat dry before frying them up!
Prepare the batter
To prepare the batter, mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and baking powder.
In a separate bowl whisk together buttermilk and eggs until well blended. Add these wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Let batter rest for about 30 minutes before frying to allow it time to thicken up slightly (this will help prevent soggy fried green tomatoes).
Fry and serve
Serve your fried green tomatoes warm and topped with a sprinkle of salt. The tomatoes can be served as an appetizer, side dish or main course with a few other Southern favorites like mashed potatoes and cornbread.
If you’re planning to eat them later in the day or the next morning, store them in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to eat again. To make sure they don’t get soggy from sitting out all night (or even just overnight), try using waxed paper between layers of fried green tomatoes so that they don’t touch each other when stacked together in a container before refrigeration; this will also help prevent oil seeping through the paper into your food overnight–you know what we mean if you’ve ever accidentally left your fries open overnight!
You can make fried green tomatoes in less than 30 minutes.
You can make fried green tomatoes in less than 30 minutes. Here’s what you need:
- A recipe for fried green tomatoes. You can find one online or use this one that I’ve been using for years:
- Ingredients to make the actual fried green tomatoes. You’ll need some sliced green tomatoes, cornmeal, all-purpose flour or cornstarch, salt and pepper (or other spices), an egg white beaten with water (or milk), vegetable oil or lard if you want it to be healthier than deep-frying your food in processed oils like canola or vegetable oil! Also don’t forget about an onion if you want some onion flavor on top of everything else going on here! For me personally? I think they’re better without any extra seasonings beyond just salt & pepper because sometimes too much spice will overpower everything else happening within each bite–but hey maybe not everyone agrees with me there so feel free to experiment yourself first before making any decisions 😉
Conclusion
Fried green tomatoes are a classic Southern dish, but they’re also easy to make at home. If you have any leftovers, try serving them with eggs for breakfast or with your favorite sandwich filling for lunch.
