Fry ’em up

We know you’ve probably heard of the film “Fried Green Tomatoes” but even before that came along, it was a culinary staple in southern households when growing up. With that first bite, you’ll learn they’re crunchy on the outside and soft and slightly tangy in the middle. They simply taste like summer is here! Our favorite way to eat them is on a BL(Fried Green)T! As a good appetizer dip them in ranch, because we are southern. Let’s make them together!

Fried Green Tomatoes!

What you will need:

• Green tomatoes: Hop over to the Wiregrass Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. You want a full-sized tomato with no blemishes that is firm but not hard to the touch. Give it a little squeeze to check it. And if it is smaller, it’s probably not developed yet. We prefer our tomatoes completely green y’all, but it’s ok if it has a lil’ hint of yellow. We use three good sized tomatoes! Try to aim for about 1/4-inch thickness when slicing the tomatoes. They will cook evenly and have a great balance of coating and tomato in every bite.
• All-purpose flour: This soaks up the tomato moistness to make sure the breading sticks. You will need a ½ a cup.
• Eggs: The stickiness helps the breading mix stick to the outside. 2 eggs will do the trick!
• Panko bread crumbs & Yellow cornmeal: Panko is not normal! We know but trust us! Cornmeal is a Southern ingredient staple. These both improve the flavor and the crunch. A ½ a cup of each will add that perfect texture.
• Cooking oil: I mostly use vegetable or canola oil for cooking the fried tomatoes. They have a neutral flavor and high smoke point making them great for frying.
• Slap Your Mama Cajun Seasoning and Ranch Seasoning: These punch up that flavor. A hefty pinch of both of these. Season with your heart.

Liberally season green tomato slices with salt and pepper on both sides. Add flour and eggs to two separate small shallow bowls. Combine cornmeal, panko crumbs, and all your seasonings into another small shallow bowl and whisk together. Begin by dipping each seasoned tomato slice into flour coating on both sides. Next add floured tomato slice to eggs coating on both sides. Lastly dip into crumb mixture and set aside finished slice on baking sheet. Repeat dredging process, starting with flour, until all slices are coated.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat to 350°F to 375°F. Add dredged tomato slices to the pan and be careful not to overcrowd it. Fry tomato slices on both sides until golden brown and drain on paper towels or on a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Serve warm. If you aren’t serving immediately, add the tomatoes to a preheated oven around 250 to stay crisp and delish.