Southern Fried Green Tomatoes

Easy, crispy southern fried green tomatoes, with optional spicy Louisiana rémoulade sauce ~ an iconic classic in the South.

Last summer, a lot of people came to the farm stand I worked at for green tomatoes.  Not the red, ripe ones we were famous for, they wanted the green ones for fried green tomatoes.  Many people shared with me how they make them, and this year I decided to try my hand at them.  These are easy southern fried green tomatoes, and being in Missouri definitely qualifies as southern!

I opted for a buttermilk-cornmeal rendition, very similar to the way I make fried okra, except not deep-fried but pan-fried in a cast iron skillet.  The tomatoes should be green, very green.  You don't want any that are even slightly starting to ripen, many people stressed that to me.

Basically, this is how I did it.  I seasoned some flour and cornmeal in one bowl.  I put several shakes of hot sauce in some buttermilk in another bowl.  Then it's dip, dredge and pan fry.  Drain on paper towels, salt while hot, and pop into a warm oven while you fry the rest.  Pretty easy, it really is.

What to serve with fried green tomatoes?

I love, love rémoulade sauce and that is perfect to serve alongside tomatoes.  Also traditional ~ a simple squeeze of lemon and some hot sauce.  I served with both these options and have included the rémoulade sauce in the recipe below, should you so desire.

I'm so glad I finally tried making these at home.  Easy, crispy fried green tomatoes ~ a southern classic.  Try them yourself, and then watch the classic movie of the same name, definitely a feel good combination ~ Kelly🍴🐦

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Southern Fried Green Tomatoes

Easy, crispy fried green tomatoes, made with buttermilk and cornmeal ~ serve with rémoulade sauce.

4.84 from 6 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 195kcal

Author: Kelly Wildenhaus

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 green tomatoes, ends removed, sliced ¼-inch thick
• ▢ 1 cup cornmeal, medium grind, preferably stone ground
• ▢ 1 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ▢ 1½ cups buttermilk
• ▢ A few shakes of hot sauce
• ▢ ½-1 cup vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter (or bacon drippings)
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ Lemon wedges, hot sauce and/or rémoulade sauce for serving

Rémoulade Sauce:

• ▢ 1 cup good quality mayonnaise (the southern choice would be Duke's)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons creole mustard, whole-grain mustard
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons capers, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 scallion, finely chopped
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• If serving, make rémoulade sauce.  Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl until well-combined and smooth.  Let sit for one hour so flavors meld while you prepare the tomatoes. (Cover and refrigerate any leftover sauce.)
• Pre-heat oven to 200º and fit a sheet pan with wire rack, set aside.
• In a wide bowl or pie plate, combine flour, cornmeal and seasonings.  In another small bowl, combine buttermilk with a few shakes of hot sauce and a little salt and pepper.  Dip green tomato slice in buttermilk mixture, shake off excess, then dredge in cornmeal-flour mixture until well-coated.  Repeat and put tomato slices on a plate.
• Heat oil in a large cast iron pan, about a ½-inch high.  Add the butter and mix in, it gives flavor and helps with browning.  When hot, but not smoking, add tomato slices to skillet, and working in batches, fry until golden, about 3-4 minutes a side.  Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt while hot.  Transfer fried slices to sheet pan with rack and keep warm in oven while continuing to fry remaining slices.
• Serve hot green tomatoes with lemon wedges, Louisiana hot sauce and/or rémoulade sauce.  Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Green tomatoes can be hard to slice in ¼-inch slices.  If you have a mandolin, and are comfortable using one, that would be a great option for slicing.
• Adding a little butter to the hot oil helps with browning and gives a little flavor.  Bacon drippings would also work!
• These are best served hot and crispy, although the cornmeal helps keep that crispiness even as they cool.

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal Carbohydrates: 33g Protein: 6g Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 9mg Sodium: 192mg Potassium: 302mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 5g Vitamin A: 680IU Vitamin C: 17mg Calcium: 71mg Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe? Please comment, rate it and share! And mention me on Instagram @thehungrybluebird or tag #thehungrybluebird so I can see!

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