Welcome to the first in the Southern Summer Recipe Series! Every week, we will be featuring a favorite recipe from one of the Garden City Realty staff, in hopes that you might be able to bring a little piece of the Beach back to your home!
Our very first recipe is a southern summer staple: the fried green tomato! For those of you unfamiliar with this delectable summer treat, here is your chance to experience it. But first, a brief note about the green tomato!
Green tomatoes or “greenies” as they’re known around here, are simply unripened tomatoes of any variety. This is also why they’re a summer staple: one can’t get green tomatoes until tomato growing season begins in late spring and summer.
You can use any type of unripened tomato, but the larger ones, such as beefsteak and heirloom seem to work the best (plus, there’s more to eat!) Now you might be asking why you can’t just use regular red tomatoes, and the answer is that the regular tomatoes are simply too soft, and won’t hold up to the frying process. The green tomatoes have a wonderful crunch to them, as well as a tangy sweetness that’s completely different from a ripened tomato. And now, for the recipe! Serve these tomatoes outside with a glass of iced tea one summer night and enjoy the sunset with someone you love!
Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
Prep Time:
5 Min Cook Time:
15 Min Ready In:
20 Min
Servings (Help)
Original Recipe Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
4 large green tomatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Directions
Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.
There are also plenty of ways to dress these up. I like mine was a little blue cheese on top. They are also great with a sprinkle of hot sauce, and my personal favorite, some cream or marscapone cheese in between a few stacks and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
Note: ALWAYS be extremely careful when cooking and frying with oil. Be sure to have an extinguisher on hand, as oil can heat rapidly and catch fire if unattended or spilled.
