Green tomatoes, coated with a combination of cornmeal and breadcrumbs and then fried, end up tender and juicy in the middle and delicately crispy on the outside.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
If you've never tried fried green tomatoes you are in for a real treat. Serve these on top of burgers, as a side dish, or as an appetizer with a homemade remoulade sauce.
This fried green tomatoes recipe is one of those iconic southern dishes that you have to try at least once.
They're hard to find commercially but luckily this classic side dish is much easier to make than you might think.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Slice tomatoes about ¼-inch thick.
- Put flour mixture in one bowl, buttermilk mixture in one bowl, and crumbs in one bowl.
- Dip the tomatoes in the flour.
- Now dip it in the buttermilk mixture.
- Finally dip it in the crumb mixture.
- Fry.
🥄 Equipment
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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
One of the most important things to have, as far as I'm concerned, is a couple of cast iron pans. Lodge is my favorite brand - they last forever.
🥫 Storage
Fried green tomatoes are best right after they're made. If there are leftovers cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Be sure to heat the oil to 360F between each batch.
- Use firm, unripe tomatoes.
- Cut them about ¼ -inch thick with a sharp knife.
- Use a light, high smoke point oil like peanut oil (unless there are allergies).
- Make sure the oil is at about 360 degrees before you add the tomato slices.
- Gently slip the fried green tomato slices onto a thick layer of paper towel to drain.
- Don't stack them or they'll get soggy.
- Serve them while they're hot.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
Nope. Green tomatoes are unripe tomatoes. They can be any variety of tomato from Big Boy to an obscure heirloom variety. Tomatillos, on the other hand, are the fruit of a related but different plant and are covered with paper-like husks. They don't turn red ever.
If you're making fried green tomatoes for a crowd you can keep them warm in a 250F oven. It's best to keep them on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. If you don't have a wire rack you can put them on the cookie sheet but they may get soggy on the bottoms.
📚 Related recipes
- Grilled Shrimp Creole with Roasted Tomatoes - Grilled Gulf Shrimp with an amazing roasted tomato and pepper sauce - it's so easy.
- Southern Corn Pudding - classic corn casserole that works so well with roasted meat.
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits - There's nothing like fluffy buttermilk biscuits.
- Alabama Slammer - Perfect paired with a front porch and a good book.
- Pig Pickin Cake - Yellow cake with pineapple and mandarin orange topped with a creamy whipped topping.
- Blackberry Cobbler - Big, plump blackberries under a sugary, buttery crust - old fashioned goodness!
- Chocolate Chess Pie - This pie is like nothing you've had - chocolatey, fudgy, and so easy.
🍽️ Serve with...
- A great dipping sauce like this copycat Red Robin campfire sauce.
- A delicious homemade remoulade sauce like this spicy avocado remoulade.
- I love these on top of cheeseburgers with a little chipotle aioli.
📞 The last word
So you may have noticed that my fried green tomatoes have a distinctly red cast to them. That's because I forgot about them on the counter and they went ahead and started to ripen.
I'm not one to waste food if I can help it so I went ahead and used them anyway. Don't worry if your tomatoes are a little pink - as long as they aren't completely ripe you're good to go.
They need to be firm and not juicy or you'll end up with a soggy crust.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Fried Green Tomatoes
Print SaveIngredients
- 3 or 4 medium green tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup self rising cornmeal mix
- 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- Peanut oil, or favorite light oil for frying
- Remoulade Sauce
Instructions
- Put the flour and seasoning in bowl.
- Add the buttermilk and eggs to another bowl.
- Add the breadcrumbs and cornmeal to a third bowl and mix well.
- Dip the tomatoes in the flour mixture, then the buttermilk mixture, then the breadcrumbs to coat.
- Add ¼-inch of oil to a heavy skillet and heat until the oil sizzles, about 360F.
- Carefully add the tomato slices and fry until golden on one side.
- Flip and fry on the other side.
- Remove from the oil and drain on absorbent paper towel.
- Add oil to pan as needed and let it return to 360F.
- Serve immediately with the remoulade.
Notes
- Use firm, unripe tomatoes.
- Cut them about ¼ -inch thick with a sharp knife.
- Use a light, high smoke point oil like peanut oil (unless there are allergies).
- Make sure the oil is at about 360 degrees before you add the tomato slices.
- Gently slip the fried green tomato slices onto a thick layer of paper towel to drain.
- Don't stack them or they'll get soggy.
- Serve them while they're hot.
Holly Hooper
I made this the other day and it was wonderful! My family loved it!
Rose Martine
This looks awesome! Glad to hear it was good with beef too, as that is what I am more likely to have on hand.
Regards
Alix @A Hedgehog in the Kitchen
Hi Marye! I was just telling my husband Hugo (who is French) about fried green tomatoes! He really wants to try them, so we will definitely be making your recipe very soon! Thank you! 🙂
Marye Audet
Let me know how he likes them, Alix!
Kathleen E
How many eggs???