I’d never heard of fried green tomatoes before seeing the movie (based on a 1987 book) with the same name. When the movie came out in 1991 you were not likely to see them on menus in the northeast. I recall the first time I ever had them – in Atlanta for lunch in the spring of 1995. They were good but in the years since then I have enjoyed even better ones.
They are typically coated in a combination of flour and cornmeal so aren’t an option for me to eat in restaurants due to their gluten content. I decided that I’d try making them at home and then realized that it’s actually quite difficult to find truly unripe green tomatoes. Note that there are heirloom varieties of tomatoes that are green when ripe – you do not want to use this kind for making fried green tomatoes. The key to being able to fry them is the low moisture content of an unripe tomato. Stay away from any tomatoes that have any red on them.
Fortunately we have a friend, Lou R, who is on a mission to find his favorite variety of tomatoes so for the last few summers has been growing enough tomato plants to feed a small country. (I exaggerate slightly for effect.) Given how many tomatoes he had, I was hopeful he wouldn’t mind sharing a few unripe ones with me which he kindly did.
My other option for obtaining unripe green tomatoes was to ask one of the farmers at Growing Roots’ Farmers Market in Malvern, PA (my local farmers market) if I could special order some.
These are easy to make as just a few ingredients are required. It’s important that the tomato slices be about a quarter to a third of an inch thick – you’ll get three to four slices per tomato. Any thinner and they might not hold up well when frying. I also found that the flour and cornmeal stick better to the part of the tomato without skin, so you may want to make a thin slice off the ends of the tomatoes. Ideally you cut them and salt them for about 30 minutes before cooking – the salt draws out any excess moisture. And, make sure the oil you’re using for frying is hot (about 375°F). I used an instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature and was careful not to touch the pan with the thermometer.
I did some research on sauces to accompany these yummy tomatoes. Often times they’re served with a remoulade or buttermilk sauce. I opted for the latter. I liked the combination of buttermilk and feta cheese – it had a nice tanginess and consitency to it.
While I used gluten-free flour, you can use the same amount of all-purpose flour if you’re not avoiding gluten.
These tomatoes were delicious – I will definitely be on the hunt for more unripe tomatoes so I can make them again. Perhaps Lou R will give me some more.
| Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk-Feta Sauce (Gluten-Free) | Print |
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ cup (~3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- A few dashes of hot sauce (to taste)
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 medium tomatoes
- Kosher salt
- ¾ cup gluten-free or all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Stir together all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed. Can be made two hours in advance.
- The cornmeal-flour mixture sticks better to the inside of the tomato, so remove a sliver of each of the ends of the tomato and then cut into ¼-inch slices. Depending on the size of your tomato you’ll likely get 3 or 4 slices.
- Lay tomato slices on a towel and generously salt. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place a second towel on top after 30 minutes to wipe off some of the salt.
- In a shallow dish, add ½ cup flour.
- In a second shallow dish, lightly beat egg and stir in buttermilk.
- In a third shallow dish, combine ¼ cup flour, cornmeal, smoked paprika and freshly ground pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat and add ¼-inch oil. Heat oil to 375°F.
- Dredge tomato slices in flour then dip in egg mixture and dredge in cornmeal mixture. Place tomato slices in hot oil and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
- Drain on paper towels. Repeat until done, adding more oil if needed. Serve tomatoes warm.
* If you want to make this truly gluten-free use gluten-free flour (such as Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour) in place of the all-purpose flour and gluten-free cornmeal (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Medium Cornmeal). While cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, it could have cross-contamination depending on where it is produced.
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