Active Time
20 minutes
Total Time
20 minutes
If your introduction to fried green tomatoes was the 1991 Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates movie by the same name, or even Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, the book on which the movie was based, you might imagine generations of home cooks across the South frying tangy, unripe tomato slices in cast-iron skillets.
But according to Robert F. Moss, author of The Fried Green Tomato Swindle and Other Southern Culinary Adventures, the first printed accounts of ‘fried tomatoes’ showed up in Midwestern cookbooks in the 19th century. Green tomato variations followed in Midwestern and Northeastern newspapers before any mention can be traced to the Southern states. And while fried green tomatoes were most certainly made in Alabama and its neighbors long before the 1990s, the movie no doubt helped transform them into a regional icon.
In this recipe from the now-shuttered Brown Bag Cafe in North Carolina, the more common cornmeal mixture is swapped out for crispy panko breadcrumbs, which makes the crust extra crunchy—perfect in a grilled pimento cheese sandwich or BLT or as a side dish to classic Southern recipes like buttermilk fried chicken. They’re also an excellent appetizer served with a spicy remoulade dipping sauce and make a great swap for the English muffins in a summery eggs Benedict.
Ingredients
4 servings
2
2
1
1
1½
1
2
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Place 2 large green tomatoes, sliced ⅓ inch thick on a large paper-towel-lined baking sheet and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk 2 large eggs with 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce in a shallow medium bowl. Whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. paprika in another shallow medium bowl. Place 2 cups panko in a third shallow medium bowl.
Step 2
Using paper towels, pat tomatoes dry. Working in batches, dredge in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Coat with panko, pressing to adhere.
Step 3
Pour vegetable oil into a large deep skillet to a depth of 1" and heat over medium heat until thermometer registers 350°. Working in batches, fry tomatoes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a fresh, dry paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
Editor's note: This recipe was first printed in our June 2013 issue. Head this way for more of our favorite summer sides →
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