Best Southern Fried Green Tomatoes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American, Soul Food

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 395kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Learn how to make pan-fried green tomatoes with crispy golden cornmeal coating and tender and juicy on the inside.

Print Recipe

Equipment

2 sheet pan
parchment paper
paper towels
1 cutting board
1 knife
3 bowls
1 large cast iron skillet or deep frying pan
1 kitchen tongs or slotted spoon

Ingredients

4 green tomatoes at room temperature
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 quart grape seed oil or frying oil of your choice

Instructions

Prep the Ingredients: Line two sheet pans, one with parchment paper and one with paper towels, then set aside. Slice tomatoes about ¼ inch thick, discarding the ends. Pat each slice dry then set aside.
4 green tomatoes
Add flour to a shallow dish. Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk in another dish. And mix together the cornmeal and seasonings in a third dish.
2 cups cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Batter the Tomatoes: Dip each tomato slice first in the flour then the egg mixture then the cornmeal mixture and lay onto parchment-lined pan to rest. This resting step helps ensure the coating will stick to the tomatoes.
Heat the Frying Oil: Meanwhile, fill the cast iron skillet with about two inches of oil and warm it over medium-high heat. Once the oil reaches 350 to 375 degrees F (with a shimmering/moving appearance), drop a bit of cornmeal or flour in. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
1 quart grape seed oil
Fry the Tomatoes: Add a batch of four to six tomato slices,depending on size of your skillet, and cook until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes), being careful not to crowd the pan so the tomatoes cook evenly and don't stick together. They should float freely in the oil without overlapping each other.
Flip over and repeat until other side is golden, then remove and place on paper towel-lined pan to soak up any excess oil.
Repeat this process until all slices are fried. Serve warm with remoulade or your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

Preparation

Fried green tomatoes are best when eaten fresh so I don't recommend making them in advance. You can, however, prep your ingredients up to two days ahead to make frying quicker and easier on the day of.

Make sure to pat down the surface of each tomato slice (both sides) to remove excess moisture. This will not only help the batter coating to stick better, it will also reduce popping and crackling while frying, which can cause injury or just make a mess.

Modifications

How to cut tomatoes for fried green tomatoes? You can slice the tomatoes vertically or horizontally depending on what you like. Horizontally green tomato slices will be more perfectly round with a balance of juicy flesh and firm skin and core. This is for those of you who crave uniformity!

And vertical green tomato slices will provide a variety of shapes and sizes. Just note that some pieces will be juicier than others, which means they are more pone to separation during frying. Vertical slices are for those of you who like to mix it up.

Storage

Store your fried green tomato slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to three days this way. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to make them a lil crispy again.

Cooked fried green tomatoes can be frozen but will not come anywhere close to the traditional texture so it's not recommend. You can, however, freeze battered tomatoes for up to a year! Slice, pat, batter, and rest the tomatoes per this recipe, then flash freeze them on the parchment-lined sheet pan for about three hours then transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container or freezer-bag. Keeps for up to one year.

Nutrition