Fried Green Tomatoes

By jgroeneveld

Southern cooks have long made the most of an unripe crop by dunking sliced green tomatoes in breading and frying them to a crisp golden brown . For a coating that sticks to the tomato, we drain the tomatoes on paper towels to get rid of excess liquid before dipping the slices into a mixture of egg and buttermilk, the perfect “glue” to grab on to an even coating of flour, cornmeal, and ground cornmeal.We drained the tomatoes on paper towels to get rid of excess liquid before dipping the slices into a mixture of egg and buttermilk, the perfect “glue” to grab on to an even coating of flour, cornmeal, and ground cornmeal.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds green tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups peanut or vegetable oil
• To keep the tomatoes from weeping as they fry (which will loosen the coating), let them sit between paper towels for 20 minutes and then press dry.

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place tomatoes on paper towel–lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover with more paper towels, let sit for 20 minutes, and pat dry. Meanwhile, process 1/3 cup cornmeal in blender until very finely ground, about 1 minute. Combine processed cornmeal, remaining 1/3 cup cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne in shallow dish. Whisk buttermilk and egg together in second shallow dish.

2. Working one at a time, dip tomato slices in buttermilk mixture, then dredge in cornmeal mixture, pressing firmly to adhere; transfer to clean baking sheet.

3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until 350 degrees. Fry 4 tomato slices until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on wire rack set in baking sheet. Bring oil back to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining tomato slices. Serve.