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    Recipes » Side Dish » Southern Sides

    Fried Green Tomatoes

    Published: Sep 26, 2017 · Modified: Aug 11, 2020 by Marissa Stevens · 50 Comments

    Vegetarian

    This post may contain affiliate links.

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    fried green tomatoes stacked and served on a white plate

    Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, these Fried Green Tomatoes are addictive! Serve them as an appetizer or side dish, a party snack, or make them the main attraction piled high on a BLT! This recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes is a variation of Southern Cooking's version: skipping the sugar, adding a bit of cayenne for kick and finishing with flaky sea salt for extra flavor and crunch.

    Fried Green Tomatoes Stacked on a white plate

    If I'd known how easy it was to make Fried Green Tomatoes, I would have done it years ago. The growing season here in the High Desert of Oregon is short and when the weather begins to cool it means business. We'll have freezing overnight temperatures within days and that means that all of those green tomatoes on the vine must be picked.

    But I'm getting ahead of myself here because, before we met Parker, we didn't have tomatoes to pick, green or otherwise.

    Jump to:
    • About Parker
    • More of My Favorite Southern Recipes
    • How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes
    • Recipe Video
    • Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
    • 💬 Comments
    Green Tomatoes for frying

    About Parker

    Parker is our neighbor, a brilliant horticulturist and a new entrepreneur. He's also a 7th grader. It was a school project to grow plants from seed that ignited his interest in growing plants. His success with the project gave him the idea to create his own plant start business and that's how Parker's Plants came to be. Over many months he started over 400 plants from seed - cultivated in his family's garage and house. (Nice parents, right? It must have been a jungle over there!) He was able to sell enough plant starts to buy a greenhouse and, to me, he looks pretty excited about filling it. Look out world!

    parker with his green tomatoes

    A couple of days ago, Parker harvested 15(!!) pounds of green tomatoes to protect them from the coming frost and was kind enough to share some of his best slicing tomatoes with us. Hmmm...what to do with a batch of firm and gorgeous, shiny green, unripe tomatoes? Make Fried Green Tomatoes of course! They're more than a poignant and funny movie from the early 90s and well worth trying. They'll taste better from your kitchen then they would fresh from The Whistle Stop Cafe. 😉

    The process is quick and easy. I recommend serving these with Remoulade Sauce for dipping or, for a classic Southern combination, with Shrimp Remoulade!

    More of My Favorite Southern Recipes

    • Homemade Biscuits
    • Skillet Cornbread
    • Sweet Potato Bread
    • Cornbread Pudding
    • Corn Maque Choux
    • Cajun Potato Salad

    How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes

    1. Start with medium-sized firm green tomatoes sliced into ¼-inch thick circles.

    Slicing a Green Tomato

    2. Follow a classic breading style: dredge in plain flour, dip in egg wash, dredge in a seasoned mixture of cornmeal and flour. (Some recipes call for panko in this mixture, but I prefer the traditional breading where cornmeal crunch is the star.)

    Combining Egg and Buttermilk
    Cornmeal Breading
    breading green tomatoes
    Breaded Tomatoes

    3. Shallow fry for 3 to 4 minutes in ¼-inch of high heat oil like avocado oil, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve!

    Frying Breaded Green Tomatoes
    Flipping Breaded Green Tomatoes while Frying

    Simple, right?

    Fried-Green-Tomatoes served on a white plate

    The next time you find yourself with the happy dilemma of too many green tomatoes you'll know just what to do.

    Recipe Video

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    Fried-Green-Tomatoes-Stacked on a white plate

    Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

    Marissa Stevens
    Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, these Fried Green Tomatoes are addictive! Serve them as an appetizer, a party snack or make them the main attraction piled high on a BLT! This recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes is a slight variation of Southern Cooking’s version: skipping the sugar, adding a bit of cayenne for kick and finishing with flaky sea salt for extra flavor and crunch.
    5 from 6 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 people
    Calories 95 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 medium green tomatoes about 12 ounces
    • 1 large egg
    • ½ cup buttermilk
    • ½ cup all-purpose flour divided
    • ½ cup cornmeal
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon fine salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • pinch ground cayenne pepper
    • avocado oil or other high vegetable heat oil, for frying
    • flaky sea salt such as Maldon, for finishing

    Instructions
     

    • Slice tomatoes into ¼-inch thick rounds.

    To Make Breading Mixture:

    • Whisk egg and buttermilk together in a shallow bowl.
    • Scoop ¼ cup flour onto a medium plate. 
    • To a second medium plate add remaining flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and cayenne; combine thoroughly with fork or small whisk.

    To Bread Tomatoes:

    • Dredge a tomato slice in plain flour, shaking off any excess; dip in egg mixture; dredge in cornmeal mixture until evenly coated and transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining tomato slices.

    To Fry Green Tomatoes:

    • Line a plate with paper towels; set aside.
    • In a heavy skillet (ideally a cast iron skillet) heat ¼-inch of high heat oil to 375°. (It's important for the oil to be very hot to keep tomatoes from absorbing it. Be sure to reheat between batches!) Carefully place tomatoes into hot oil and cook 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plate (keeping tomatoes in a single layer so they don't get soggy) and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. Serve hot. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFat: 1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 321mgPotassium: 163mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 355IUVitamin C: 10.8mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword easy, quick, summer, vegetarian
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.
    Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, these Fried Green Tomatoes are addictive! Serve them as an appetizer, a party snack or make them the main attraction piled high on a BLT! This recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes is a slight variation of Southern Cooking’s version: skipping the sugar, adding a bit of cayenne for kick and finishing with flaky sea salt for extra flavor and crunch.

    More Southern Sides

    • Cajun Potatoes
    • Cornbread Dressing
    • Cajun Potato Salad
    • Brabant Potatoes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Linda Edwards says

      June 19, 2022 at 5:23 pm

      5 stars
      Once these are coated can you freeze them? I would love to have them year around. Thanks for the recipe and the information.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        June 22, 2022 at 10:29 am

        Hi, Linda! Yes, absolutely. Just arrange the breaded slices in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet (to avoid sticking) and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or other freezer safe container. When you're ready to fry them, there's not need to thaw first. Fry them straight from frozen, they'll just take an extra minute or two.

        Reply
    2. Jeff Hosking says

      March 06, 2022 at 4:16 pm

      5 stars
      one of the most tasty and delicious green tomato recipes i have tried.
      I always thought sugar was needed but it was not missed. The sea salt was
      an unexpected ingridiant,that I thought really put taste over the top. I served
      these with crock pot cooked spare ribs and found them to be an evxcellent
      side dish, I wish I had made more.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        March 07, 2022 at 10:47 am

        This is so great to hear, Jeff! Thank you for coming back to let me know.

        Reply
    3. Claudis says

      September 27, 2021 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe and super easy.
      I served the green tomatoes with fresh tomato sauce from the last ripe tomatoes. What a lovely way to celebrate the end of tomato season.

      Thank you for the story about Parker. Hope for the future.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        September 28, 2021 at 1:08 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed these, Claudis, and what a great idea to serve them with fresh tomato sauce. Thank you for your kind comment.

        Reply
    4. Jamila says

      November 25, 2020 at 4:36 pm

      Hi there, if I don’t have cornmeal, is there a recommended substitute?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 25, 2020 at 4:47 pm

        Hi there, Jamila! Do you happen to have polenta or corn grits? Either would make a good substitute. You can bread them with just flour and they'll taste good, but they won't have the same crunchy crust.

        Reply
    5. Colleen Hartman says

      October 17, 2019 at 1:06 pm

      Marissa, We had tomato plants and potatoes volunteer this year so I just harvested green tomatoes and purple potatoes this afternoon. Thank you so much for publishing the fried green tomato recipe and the remoulade sauce one too. I look forward to having a yummy dinner with my family!
      Colleen

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        October 17, 2019 at 1:34 pm

        It's my pleasure, Colleen! How wonderful to have volunteer tomatoes and potatoes!! Hope you and your family enjoy!! 🙂

        Reply
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