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Fried Green Tomatoes

Southern fried green tomatoes: firm, tart slices salted to draw out water, dredged in seasoned flour, buttermilk and a cornmeal crust, and pan-fried golden. Served with a quick remoulade.

Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Makes
Serves 4–6
Jump to the recipe
Breaded fried slices topped with fresh tomato on a sheet pan
Photo: Pexels / Pixabay

Green tomatoes are simply unripe tomatoes: firm, tart, and much lower in sugar and juice than ripe ones. That firmness is what makes them work for frying. A ripe red tomato collapses into mush in hot oil, but a green one holds its shape, softens just enough, and its sharp, almost citrusy flavor stands up to a crisp cornmeal crust. They were a thrifty end-of-season dish in kitchens across the country, a way to use the fruit still on the vine before frost; the 1991 film made them a Southern restaurant staple.

The common complaint is a coating that slides off in one piece, leaving a bare tomato slice in a crisp shell. That happens because of water. Even green tomatoes release moisture when heated, and that steam pushes the breading away from the surface. Salting the slices first and letting them sit for fifteen minutes draws out much of that water. Pat them completely dry afterward, and the coating has something to grip.

The breading is a three-step dredge, and each step has a role. Seasoned flour first, which dries the surface further and gives the wet layer something to stick to. Then buttermilk beaten with an egg, which acts as the glue. Then a mixture of cornmeal and a little flour, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne. Cornmeal gives the distinctive gritty Southern crunch; a little flour in it keeps the crust from being too sandy and helps it brown evenly.

Press the cornmeal coating firmly onto each slice and let them rest on a rack for ten minutes before frying. That rest lets the coating hydrate and bond to the tomato, so it stays put in the oil.

Slice the tomatoes about a third of an inch thick. Too thin and they turn soft and limp under the crust; too thick and the center stays hard and raw-tasting while the coating darkens. Use a serrated knife for clean slices.

Fry in about half an inch of oil in a heavy skillet, cast iron if you have it, at 350°F (175°C). Do not crowd the pan; each slice needs room, and too many at once drop the oil temperature, which makes the coating absorb oil and turn greasy. Fry until deep golden on the first side before turning, and turn only once.

A wire rack keeps the bottoms crisp while they drain; salt them the moment they leave the oil. Serve hot, with a quick remoulade of mayonnaise, Creole mustard, pickles, hot sauce and lemon.

On a Southern table, cornmeal onion patties use the same skillet-fried cornmeal. Cheddar Bay crab cakes are a good partner, and air fryer fried chicken completes the meal.

Green tomatoes ripening on the vine
Photo: WagnerAnne / Pixabay

Fried green tomatoes for the skillet

Southern fried green tomatoes: firm, tart slices salted to draw out water, dredged in seasoned flour, buttermilk and a cornmeal crust, and pan-fried golden. Served with a quick remoulade.

Tart tomatoes, a cornmeal crust and remoulade

For the tomatoes

  • 4 large firm green tomatoes, about 2 lb (900 g)
  • 1 tsp fine salt, for drawing out moisture

For the coating

  • ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour, for the first dredge
  • ¼ tsp fine salt and ¼ tsp black pepper, for the first dredge
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup (140 g) fine yellow cornmeal
  • ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 3–4 cups (710–950 ml) vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

For the remoulade

  • ½ cup (110 g) mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp Creole or whole-grain mustard
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped dill pickles
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika

Salt, three-step dredge, rest, fry

  1. 1 Slice the tomatoes ⅓ in (8 mm) thick, discarding the ends. Lay the slices on a rack or paper towels, sprinkle with the salt on both sides, and let stand 15 minutes. Pat completely dry.
  2. 2 Stir the remoulade ingredients together and refrigerate until serving.
  3. 3 Set up three shallow dishes: the ½ cup (65 g) flour mixed with the ¼ tsp salt and pepper in the first; the buttermilk beaten with the egg in the second; and the cornmeal, ¼ cup (30 g) flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne mixed in the third.
  4. 4 Dredge each slice in flour and shake off the excess, dip in the buttermilk and let the excess drip off, then press firmly into the cornmeal mixture on both sides. Set on a rack and rest 10 minutes.
  5. 5 Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat to 350°F (175°C), about ½ in (1 cm) deep.
  6. 6 Fry the slices in batches, without crowding, until deep golden on the bottom, 2–3 minutes. Turn once and fry 2 minutes more.
  7. 7 Drain on a wire rack, sprinkle with a pinch of salt immediately, and serve hot with the remoulade.

Air fryer, oven and finding green tomatoes

  • Air fryer: spray the coated slices on both sides with oil and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 8–10 minutes, turning halfway. They are less crisp but still good.
  • Oven: bake on an oiled rack set over a sheet pan at 425°F (220°C) for 15–18 minutes, turning once.
  • Finding green tomatoes: look at farmers markets late in the season, or ask a grocer. Firm, unripe tomatoes with only a blush of color can be used too.
  • BLT: layer fried green tomatoes with bacon, lettuce and remoulade on toasted bread.
  • Keeping warm: hold finished slices on a rack in a 200°F (95°C) oven while the rest fry. They soften after about 20 minutes.

Falling breading, soggy slices and what to serve

The tomatoes were wet, or the coating did not have time to set. Salt and dry the slices, use the three-step dredge, and rest the coated slices before frying.

Usually, yes. Some heirloom varieties stay green when ripe, but fried green tomatoes traditionally use firm, unripe red tomatoes.

The oil was too cool, the pan was crowded, or they drained on paper towels. Fry at 350°F (175°C) in batches and drain on a rack.

Remoulade, ranch or comeback sauce, as an appetizer. They also go well on a BLT, with shrimp and grits, or beside fried chicken.