Despite the fact that it is rather late in the season for green tomatoes, on our last visit to her house my Nonnie gave me a few that had fallen off her plants. And, what else is there to do with green tomatoes but fry them?
There is quite a bit of discussion on the internet about what is the correct way to fry green tomatoes. While my method might not be as traditional, it sure was delicious. The tomatoes are very tart, the breading was crunchy and slightly spicy and sweet. My idea was to have cornbread wrapped tomatoes, and I almost got there, but not quite. I might try a bit more sugar and a finer cornmeal for my next batch. I’ve adjusted the recipe below to get closer to my ideal fried green tomato.
Fried Green Tomatoes
3 – 4 green tomatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
1/2 cup finely ground corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 t salt
1/2 t paprika
1 cup buttermilk
peanut oil, safflower oil or other light oil for frying
Pour 1 inch of oil into a cast iron skillet. Heat over medium high heat. In the meantime, slice the tomatoes. Mix the corn meal, flour, sugar, salt and paprika together. Dunk them first in the buttermilk and then in the flour mixture to coat both sides.
Fry in small batches until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt when you remove them from the oil and then drain on paper towels.
-Emily