Fried Green Tomatoes

Crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle, these fried green tomatoes are addictive!

This past week, our good friend Phyllis gave us green tomatoes from her garden. Score! We knew it was the perfect time to make this crisp and tangy treat.

Serve them as an appetizer or stack your sandwich high, making them the main attraction. For a real Southern treat, how about fried green tomatoes and cheezy grits?

We agree that frying is not the healthiest cooking method, but read more to see how frying at home can be made better. Our recipe also provides a healthier, baked option.

Once you’ve tried Fried Green Tomatoes, they’re hard to resist. So come on y’all, it’s the perfect time for this seasonal Southern recipe.

Green tomatoes are nothing more than garden-variety tomatoes picked before they ripen. Their skin should be very tight, and the color green and not yellow.

Start by cutting tomatoes crosswise into 1/3 to 1/2-inch slices, discarding the ends. Each tomato should yield three slices.

Prepare the flaxseed eggs by whisking together flaxseed meal and water and setting aside for about 5 minutes.

To prepare your breading station, line up 3 shallow bowls from left to right. In the first bowl, mix together gluten-free flour blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, add hemp milk to the flax eggs. In the final bowl, combine cornmeal and allergy-friendly panko or breadcrumbs.

Heat oil to a depth of 1/2-inch in a large cast iron skillet or other skillet over medium heat.

Dredge tomatoes in the first bowl of seasoned flour to coat well. The flour helps the breading stick to the tomatoes. Then dip in flaxseed and milk mixture. Finally, dredge in cornmeal and panko to completely coat.

Place tomatoes without touching each other into hot oil in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Cook 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter.

It’s hard, but don’t be tempted to eat them immediately after cooking. They’ll be steaming hot due to the water trapped inside.

The Healthier Side

It’s not often we eat fried foods. This recipe is definitely for that occasional splurge. Frying at home can be made better by the type of oil you use, and how you use it.

The ideal temperature of the oil is 350 to 375-degrees F. When breaded or battered food is cooked in oil at this temperature, its surface cooks almost instantly and forms a type of “seal” that the oil cannot penetrate.

If the temperature is too low, the oil will seep into the food, making it greasy. Also, crowding the skillet or overloading the fryer basket greatly lowers the temperature of the oil. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, the oil can oxidize, posing serious health risks.

Some oils can withstand much higher temperatures than others. You want to fry with an oil that has a high flash (smoke) point. Heating oil to the point where the oil begins to smoke produces toxic fumes and harmful free radicals, which can cause oxidative damage in the body, contributing to a number of different diseases including dementia, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

With the right oils, you can enjoy the occasional deep-fried treat (preferably home-made) without the guilt.

The Dipping Sauce

Now it’s time to pull out the dipping sauce. There are numerous sauces that go great with fried green tomatoes, from buttermilk to remoulade, and cajun ranch to horseradish cream.

It can also be as simple as a sriracha mayonnaise. “Just Sriracha Mayo” is available at many markets and also online through amazon. Or make your own by combining 1/2 cup allergy-friendly mayonnaise and 1 tbsp sriracha, or less heat, according to your taste.

We chose a couple of different sauces. A favorite is a Thai cilantro lime sauce that we make for veggie bowls, falafels and so much more.

We also made a quick and easy remoulade, which we think is the winner.

As you can see, there are just a few ingredients. We whisked together mayo, ketchup, sriracha, dill relish, dry mustard, and finely chopped fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley. We also had this last night on steamed broccoli. Yum!

Crisp and tangy, it’s no wonder fried green tomatoes are the ultimate Southern comfort food. But don’t stop here. These green tomatoes are also good sautéed, in stews, salsas or sauces, and pickled.