This Easy Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe will have your friends screaming MORE MORE MORE and you delightedly smiling at the frying pan knowing how easy it is to throw this together. They are tangy, fresh, firm and perfect every single time!
Easy Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
You might be wondering what a fried green tomato even is. No worries, we are going to get into that BUT if you are looking for an easy fried green tomatoes recipe, this is the spot because these turn out perfectly every single time and the coating never slides off.
These are tangy, crunchy and simply perfect. These are a genuine Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe Experience! They are terrific when paired with my pimento cheese on a little bed of arugula, no joke!
Fried Green Tomatoes are seriously one of my favorite recipes and this is one you won't be disappointed with. It's easy to get the crunchy outside, tender inside results you want!
What Is a Fried Green Tomato
Fried Green Tomatoes, if you do an internet search, will call back everything from movies to sauces. What you really want to know is, 'What is it' though, right? right!
Do you know when a tomato isn't quite ripe, at all and it is green and hard?
Yep? You DO know this stage? Great! That's the perfect tomato for making a fried green tomato with!
What is the Best Batter for Fried Green Tomatoes
The Best Batter for Fried Green Tomatoes is this easy batter listed in this recipe! It isn't difficult but does involve a three step coating process.
You'll FIRST want to slice the tomatoes and pat them dry a bit, then coat in plain flour, dip into an egg wash and then in your final seasoned coating.
Finally, into the hot oil!
How To Season Fried Green Tomatoes
You'll soon want to know how to season those fried green tomatoes. Frankly, a green tomato doesn't have much taste at all so you'll be adding the flavor with the seasoning in the batter.
You don't add the seasoning in the first dip with plain flour, not in the second go round of egg batter. The seasoning is added in the final dredge of flour and cornmeal that you do before placing it into the hot oil.
The recipe I give here is just for some basic seasoning but you can get pretty wild with your flavors and. use just about any seasoning you prefer.
What Do Fried Green Tomatoes Taste Like
A green tomato tastes nothing at all like a ripe tomato. Nothing. At. All.
In fact, if I were tasting them blind folded, I would place the flavor of a green tomato more in the realm of watermelon rind. No flavor at all except maybe some green flavor.
That is why the seasoning is so important! The seasoning you add in the final batter step adds all the flavor to your dish and you want that to be spectacular.
What Sauce for Fried Green Tomatoes
There are any number of choices for sauces for fried green tomatoes and I have lots of those available here at Loaves and Dishes.
You might want to try any of the following because they are all delicious!
Best Tomatoes for Fried Green Tomatoes
If you've never made a fried green tomato, you'll find that a very round tomato that is hard and green (not red at all) is going to be the best choice for Fried Green Tomatoes.
The type of tomato doesn't matter as much as the firmness and the roundness.
When I've tried to make this dish using an heirloom tomato, I've found that the mishappen factor is a problem with breading and frying. Round works much better.
Here's What You'll Need
Here's what you'll need to make perfect Easy Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe, every single time.
- Green Tomatoes
- Seasoning
- Flour
- Eggs and
- Cornmeal
It's really that simple.
Here's How You Do It
The process is easy, but does dirty a number of bowls
- Cut the Tomatoes
- Dip into Flour
- Dip into an egg mixture
- Coat in a seasoned flour mix
- Fry in hot oil
Nothing could be easier!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Really, you should eat Fried Green Tomatoes right away, that's when they are best. They will last in the fridge, covered, a few days. You can reheat best in the airfryer.
No, you really can't, the consistency changes and the texture is off putting.
Special Equipment
You really don't need any special equipment, but I think things go so much more smoothly if you use a kitchen spider to dip the slices into and out of the oil.
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Tips and Tricks
- Be sure to pat the tomatoes dry with paper towels before starting, you won't be able to get them completely dry but it helps the coating to adhere.
- There's no need to season the first flour, this is just to help the other coatings to stick.
- Season the final coating VERY WELL because this is where all of the flavor comes from.
- You can try several different seasonings according to your taste. We particularly enjoy onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, pepper, salt and sometimes hot sauce. You might also want to try seafood seasoning, cajun seasoning. You could even try everything bagel seasoning!
- Be sure to ONLY use hard green tomatoes NOT tomatoes that are about to turn red because they will be way to soft and disentigrate in the hot oil.
- Make sure that your oil is fully to temperature before trying to fry.
- Things will go so much better if you have a kitchen spider for removing the slices from the oil.
- You can fry them in a frying pan or a stockpot or even a sauce pan. Just use a heavier duty pan because it will distribute the heat more evenly.
Substitutions
Bacon Grease and Vegetable Oil - Any oil you can use for frying will work. I suggest that Olive Oil and Butter are not your best bets.
Milk - Its fine to use a milk substitute or evaporated milk for this part of the recipe
Flour - you can use a rising flour or flour substitute instead.
Watch Sarah Make This Recipe
Here's Sarah making some Easy Fried Green Tomatoes
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Easy Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- Bacon grease
- Vegetable oil
- 3 Hard green tomatoes no red and a very firm feel sliced in ¼ inch slices – discard the ends.
- 1 teaspoon salt plus extra for sprinkling on slices
- ½ cup all purpose flour – divided
- 1 large egg – beaten
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tbs white vinegar
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- Kosher salt to taste
- Garnish – fresh parmesan
- Dip – ranch dressing dip
Instructions
- Fill the bottom of a cast iron skillet (sauce pan, stock pot) with about ¼ inch of bacon grease and then mix in the vegetable oil to equal ¼ inch. Set stove top just below medium and allow the grease to become hot. If you use a thermometer – 350 degrees. If you splash a drop of water into the pan, you will know the grease is hot when it begins to sputter loudly as you drop the water in. While the oil heats complete steps 2-5.
- Rinse off and then slice your tomato in ¼ inch slices and set aside. Lay on a layer of paper towels, sprinkle with salt, pat dry and lay a layer of paper towels over the top.
- Place ¼ cup flour in a dish large enough for a tomato slice and set aside(I use a cereal bowl size bowl for each of these).
- Mix egg, milk and vinegar together in a separate bowl (large enough for a tomato slice) and set aside.
- Mix ¼ cup flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Set these bowls up in a row on your cabinet as follows: flour only, egg mix, flour/cornmeal mix
- When oil is ready, pat the slices dry again with a dry paper towel. First coat both sides of a slice of tomato in the plain flour, then dredge in the egg mix coating both sides well, then dip into the corn meal/flour mix – coating both sides well. Feel free to pat the final mixture into the nooks and crannies of the tomato slice. Then place into the hot oil. Do not move the slices around – allow to fry for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and apply salt/pepper to taste. You can cook more than once slice at a time – but do not crowd and do not allow the slices to touch while cooking. Turn very gently so as not to disturb the coating.
- Drain on a paper towel and allow to cool slightly before serving. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan. Dip in Ranch dressing dip or serve with one of the other suggested dips/dressings.
Notes
-
- Be sure to pat the tomatoes dry with paper towels before starting, you won't be able to get them completely dry but it helps the coating to adhere.
-
- There's no need to season the first flour, this is just to help the other coatings to stick.
-
- Season the final coating VERY WELL because this is where all of the flavor comes from.
-
- You can try several different seasonings according to your taste. We particularly enjoy onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, pepper, salt and sometimes hot sauce. You might also want to try seafood seasoning, cajun seasoning. You could even try everything bagel seasoning!
-
- Be sure to ONLY use hard green tomatoes NOT tomatoes that are about to turn red because they will be way too soft and disintegrate in the hot oil.Make sure that your oil is fully to temperature before trying to fry.
-
- Things will go so much better if you have a kitchen spider for removing the slices from the oil.
- You can fry them in a frying pan or a stockpot or even a sauce pan. Just use a heavier duty pan because it will distribute the heat more evenly.
- If you do not have bacon grease, just use vegetable oil.
-
- Bacon Grease and Vegetable Oil - Any oil you can use for frying will work. I suggest that Olive Oil and Butter are not your best bets. Milk - Its fine to use a milk substitute or evaporated milk for this part of the recipe Flour - you can use a rising flour or flour substitute instead.
Nutrition
This recipe originally appeared on the pages of Loaves and Dishes on August 14, 2015 and has been completely updated with Questions people ask, equipment needed, new photos, updated recipe with nutrition information, notes and substitutions.
Gay says
Great recipe. Very tasty. I followed your instructions very closely. I did have one tomato that was thicker than 1/4 inch and I can see why it needs to be 1/4 inch. i used fish fry because I didn’t have any cornmeal it worked great. Also, use some grass for bacon grease to start the oil base
I’m going to figure out stewed green tomatoes next my mom used to make that
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Gay, so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I just got a green tomato too and can't wait to fix this myself tonight!
Wendi Spraker says
After years of just opening the can and heating them up and wondering why they were so much better at the mexican restaurant, I FINALLY gambled with the recipe a little and ended up with these. I love them too!
Moxie says
YEP! This is the right recipe!
Roman says
Interesting meal! I never had even the idea what I can do with green tomatoes
Deb oswald says
I'm going to try some of these recipes for the 4th. They look very delicious. ☺
Wendi Spraker says
Hi there Deb! So excited you will try some for the 4th! Thanks for letting me know! I hope you'll find other delicious stuff too to try!