Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
Southern Fried Green Tomatoes are a Southern appetizer that consists of green tomatoes in a cornmeal coating, and fried until crispy golden.
Servings 6
Calories 223kcal
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups self-rising flour divided
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs well beaten
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 3 large green tomatoes
- Peanut oil (or canola/vegetable oil) for frying
- ranch dressing for dipping (or your favorite dipping sauce)
Instructions
- Slice green tomatoes into ¼-inch rounds. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- In a shallow bowl, combine 1 tablespoon flour, buttermilk, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Whisk until smooth.
- In another shallow bowl, mix remaining flour and cornmeal.
- Pour oil into a large, deep skillet to a ¼-inch depth. Heat to 350°F.
- Dip each tomato slice in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge both sides in the flour-cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess.
- Fry in hot oil in batches of 4–5 slices, 2–2½ minutes per side, until golden, crispy, and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- Remove to paper towels briefly, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Serve hot with ranch or your favorite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
- Cook Soon. Green tomatoes will turn red very quickly so I suggest that you buy them the same day you make fried green tomatoes or the day before at the most. Any green tomatoes that are already turning red are going to be too ripe and moist which will affect the crispy crust.
- Texture. The cornmeal provides great texture to the coating without it being overwhelming. Feel free to add as much as you’d like.
- Remove Excess Oil An extra step worth taking in the preparation of the tomato slices is to blot them dry with paper towels. This will help to remove excess juice from the tomato slices so that the coating sticks better.
- Buy Local. Not all green tomatoes have the same flavor due to slight differences among the varieties grown and sold. Buying green tomatoes from a local farmer’s market is a great way to discover your favorite variety of tomatoes.
- Leftover fried green tomatoes can be reheated in a toaster or oven at a low temperature. I don’t recommend reheating in the microwave as the tomatoes will become chewy instead of crispy.
- Oil Temp. For best results, make sure that the oil in the skillet is hot and the coating mixture is cold. The tomatoes will soak up too much oil if the temperature is not hot enough. Use a thermometer to test the oil if you are unsure. It should register 350F (medium-high heat) throughout the cooking time.
- Excess Coating Mixture. There will be excess egg mixture and flour mixture leftover when you are done. This is to ensure there is enough coating for the tomatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 487mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 817IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg
