Fried Green Tomatoes
The key to this dish is a medium-hot pan. You want a golden crust on the exterior, while the inside of the tomato slice becomes tender but retains structural integrity. If the heat is too low and the cooking time too long, the tomatoes disintegrate into mush. Too hot and the exterior browns too fast before the inside is tender. For irresistible sweet-tart flavor, choose under-ripe tomatoes that are very firm and still green, with hints of pink in the skin. Fried green tomatoes make a marvelous meal served with fried eggs.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized, firm, green tomatoes about 1.25 pounds
- 1 cup milk or buttermilk
- ¼ cup cornmeal, white or yellow
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus 1 teaspoon or more as needed
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Core the tomatoes. Cut ¼ inch off the top and bottom of the tomato. Slice tomatoes into about ½ inch rounds. Pour milk (or buttermilk) into small bowl. In a second small bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, oregano, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Next, triple dip each tomato slice as follows. First, press a tomato slice gently into the flour/cornmeal blend, coating both sides. Second, dunk the tomato slice in the milk (or buttermilk), making sure both sides are coated with liquid. Third, press the tomato slice back into the flour/cornmeal blend, again coating both sides. Set aside the coated tomato slice and repeat with remaining slices. Discard excess milk and any remaining flour/cornmeal blend.
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Test the heat by carefully dipping the edge of single tomato slice into the hot oil. It should begin to sizzle. When the oil is ready, carefully slide the tomato slices into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Gently turn the slices over, adding a teaspoon or more of olive oil as needed. Cook second side for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden.
- Remove tomatoes from pan. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Don’t skip the cooling step, the juicy insides of the tomato are incredibly hot.
Notes
- While my ideal green tomato for this recipe has some hints of pink, it's not necessary.
- A 12-inch non-stick skillet is usually large enough to accommodate all slices from 2 medium tomatoes. Multiple batches may be required with a smaller pan or thinner slices.
- The flour/cornmeal coating absorbs the olive oil as the slices fry, so it's usually necessary to add more oil for the second side. After flipping and adding oil as needed, I find it helps to gently slide the slices around to promote even frying on the bottom side.
- Use a gentle touch moving tomato slices around the pan and when removing them from the pan to avoid dislodging the coating.
- It bears repeating, allow tomatoes to cool before serving. The fried tomato slices are incredibly hot fresh out of the pan.
- I love fried green tomatoes straight up, topped with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano. To make it more of a meal, I'll top with a fried egg. But to make it a special occasion, I start with a slab of fried polenta, add a slice of fried green tomato, and top with a fried egg. It's summer in a frying pan!