PERFECT FRIED GREEN TOMATOES ARE TANGY & CRUNCHY

Fried green tomatoes

This Southern US dish was made famous by the 1991 movie of the same name, based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café.

The best ones to use for a tangy taste are unripe and starting to turn white. You don’t want solid green ones (too sour) or any that are soft and pink (as they fall apart during frying).

You can use a coating of breadcrumbs or even finely crushed crackers, but cornmeal (polenta) is the traditional coating in the Southern US.

INGREDIENTS

green tomatoes freshly ground salt and pepper tabasco sauce cornmeal olive oil

METHOD

1 Slice the tomatoes quite thickly, then lay them out on a board. Season each slice with salt, black pepper, and a drop or two of tabasco sauce.

2 Dredge the slices in the fine cornmeal and cook in a hot frying pan in either olive oil or (more traditionally) bacon fat. The tomatoes are done when crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.