Fried green tomatoes are a side dish from the Southern United States, made from unripe tomatoes coated with cornmeal and fried. This is the first time I’d made them (probably inspired by the movie and book of the same name). I can see why these are so popular in the South. Who knew that unripe green tomatoes could taste so good!
The other day, I noticed some green tomatoes at my local farm stand. They were so pretty, that I had brainstorm that I would try to make Fried Green Tomatoes. There was only one hurdle I needed to cross– I had never eaten fried green tomatoes, and I’ve never made them…
Tyler Florence to the rescue! Tyler has roots in the south, so I chose his recipe. I did see that the queen of Butter and Fried Foods, “Paula Deen” had a recipe that used a lot more oil that I’m willing to cook with. I noticed that many recipes used panko crumbs, but I envisioned using corn meal. I love the crunch of corn meal, and I felt it would be more authentic as a Southern dish. I love Southern Food! However, I struggle to limit how much fried food I eat, so I don’t make it often. I would, if I could!
I set up a dish with 3 cups of flour, seasoned with garlic powder and cayene… the second shot is me realizing I forgot the cornmeal. In another dish, I poured buttermilk. Tyler recipe has a typo. It calls for 1/2 cup of oil and some butter, but there are no instructions on how to use the butter. I have a cast iron griddle, so I heated the oil and flavored it with the butter. Is this right?
I grilled these for 3-4 minutes per side and blotted them on a paper towel.
I rarely nosh on food while I’m cooking. I broke my own rule, because I could not wait to try this. Tyler says to finish these with a squeeze fresh lemon juice and hot sauce. I’m a wimp, so I don’t particularly like hot sauce and I was too impatient to bother with lemon juice…
Mercy! Oh my! I love this! It’s hot, and I was fanning my tongue…but the sweet and slight tanginess of the green tomato– the crunch of the cornmeal and the cayenne paper was just right. My husband loved them, too. I know this is a Southern Dish, but it’s going to be a regular dish in my repertoire. Oh, these are good.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Pinch cayenne
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large unripe tomatoes cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, ends removed
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Hot pepper sauce for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk and then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well.
- Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil.
- When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes (in batches if necessary) until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
- Carefully remove the tomatoes and drain on paper towels. Serve with hot pepper sauce and lemon.
Notes
Nutrition
How fun and exciting for you! Be sure to get a picture with him and we'll put it on TFF.
BTW: Your fried green tomatoes look amazing too!
First of all, congratulations on the opportunity to meet Tyler. I hope he's a fabulous as he appears. He's a southern boy (from Greenville, SC) so I'm sure his mother raised him right, as they say there.
I love fried green tomatoes and I've made up my own recipe through the years. It's similar to yours but I don't use the buttermilk. I bet the buttermilk gave it a better crust. I'll have to give it a try the next time I see green tomatoes.
Have fun with Tyler and we look forward to your post.
Sam
I love fried green tomatoes. My recipe is from Southern Living Magazine and it uses cornmeal and buttermilk also. It's easy and good, not too much oil. How fun for you to meet Tyler. I watch him all the time, one of my faves on FN.
I'm so happy for you! What a wonderful opportunity to meet Tyler! Now, the big question….what are you going to wear?? – LOL! I wonder how many hours women spend thinking about what to wear? The fried green tomatoes look delicious and cornmeal is the only way to go! They are really good on eggs benedict instead of using an english muffin.
Kim, that is such a great idea! I don't make eggs benedict, often, (Hollandaise is so good and so fattening), but when I do I would think this would be fabulous.
There is absolutely nothing better than fried green tomatoes, and I feel for those who have never tried them. Mmm.
you and Tyler have a thing going on!
He is a great cook, I love him too.
What a wonderful way to use the green tomatoes. Here in Canada the weather turns before they all finish ripening. I will definitely give this a try.
Yay for meeting Tyler! We can't wait to hear all about it.
Debby, Your pictures are beautiful as usual. The tomatoes and Tyler are gorgeous. 🙂
I love fried green tomatoes. I order them whenever they're on teh menu, but they're not that common here, believe it or not.
There's a place not too far from here that sells fried green tomatoes and wonderful fried catfish- yum! They serve the tomatoes with ranch dressing and a side of hot sauce. I like to mix them.
Have fun this weekend!
Those Fried Green Tomatoes a true southern favorite! I think a little lemon juice and hot sauce sounds pretty good.
By the way, I think Tyler Florence ( besides his good recipes) is quite dreamy 🙂 Oh, I have my fingers are crossed for you that you are a good girl and get a chance to meet him. Please tell me that you will do a blog post about your evening???
You are SO Lucky to get to see and hopefully meet Tyler Florence! He's our SC foodie hero and on the cover of our local magazine; the article is on how growing up here influenced his cooking (45 minutes north of our farm)…however, he lost his SC accent for sure! Tell him that if won't leave CA, that he should at least have a second home back here in SC!!!!
I just love fried green tomatoes and your helpful photos and recipe and sound wonderful! And yes, take a picture to post for all of us to see! Happy Autumn! Roz
I was lucky to have them one time and I have never forgotten. If I could find green tomatoes I would make this recipe! good luck with Tyler, tell him I said HI!
As Fall is here, we will most likely have a few green tomatoes and I will most defintely give your recipe a try. They look great.
Thanks for sharing the yummy pictures of Tyler Florence too. I have to admit I'm a little jealous right now of your upcoming opportunity to meet him. Have fun!
You are too funny! I do love fried green tomatoes….have fun at the food and wine festival!
What great fun to meet Tyler – he's a dynamo! And your fried green tomatoes look luscious. I only just sampled this for the first time last year in Memphis, and loved the taste!
You lucky duck! I'm so excited for you! Try memorizing a few smart things to say so that you don't become totally star-struck & say stuff you'll later kick yourself for in front of Tyler (which is what would happen to me!).
Those fried green tomatoes look dee-lish. Great recipe, too. Hope you gave a wonderful weekend!
Debby how fun! I will be eagerly awaiting your post about the event. Tell Tyler about your beautiful blog, just slip him a bussiness card! Your fried green tomatoes look so good, I'll take mine with extra hotsauce please!
oooh how I love fried green tomatoes. They remind me of fried squash. And omg! I'm so excited for you!!! I can't wait to hear how it all went. WOOO HOOO!!!
*squeal!* Oooh what fun! I don't know how you'll be able to remember anything with him in the room but look forward to reading what you can recall!
Have a wonderful time and I hope you really do get to meet him!
I don't know what I would do if I actually encountered Tyler in person. I might collapse.
The fried green tomatoes look delicious! I wish I could find them around here.
Always wanted to try fried green tomatoes. So glad you found a Tyler recipe for them! I'm making these tonight!
Is Tyler as cute in person?
My boyfriend loved these. He did request I put more cheese on them next time though. I am also going to substitute the regular marinara for a traditional pasta sauce, but that’s more of my preference.
Thank you for the positive feedback. I’m hoping for more green tomatoes, this year, so I can make them again.