by Elise Bauer

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Fried Green Tomatoes

Name: Fried Green Tomatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 3 medium, firm green tomatoes; Salt; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning (optional); 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk; 1 egg; 1/3 cup cornmeal; 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs; 1/4 cup peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil

xxxxxyyyyy2877 comments

Southern Vegetarian Tomato

How to make Fried Green Tomatoes! Sliced firm green tomatoes, dipped in egg and coated with flour, cornmeal and bread crumbs, fried and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

Fried Green Tomatoes?

Ever since that wonderful movie with Jessica Tandy I’ve wondered about fried green tomatoes. People really eat green tomatoes?

I recall being served fried tomatoes for breakfast once, but they weren’t green.

Yes, Fried Green Tomatoes.

Curious as usual, we found some big green tomatoes at the farmer’s market last weekend and just had to try these fried green tomatoes. What follows is how to make fried green tomatoes that even first-timers can manage with great success.

The verdict at this house? Yum! What a great way to make use of end-of-the-season tomatoes.

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Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish

If you can find it, use fine white cornmeal, which is the primary cornmeal used in the South. Buttermilk adds flavor and tang, but is not strictly necessary.

Ingredients

3 medium, firm green tomatoes
Salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning (optional)
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil

Method

1 Slice and salt green tomatoes: Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt. Let tomato slices stand for 5 minutes.

2 Set out shallow bowls with coating ingredients: While the salted green tomato slices are resting, place in separate shallow bowls: the flour and Cajun seasoning (if using), buttermilk and egg, and breadcrumbs and cornmeal.

3 Dip green tomato slices in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs: Heat the peanut oil in a skillet on medium heat. Beat the egg and the buttermilk together. Dip the green tomato slices in the flour-seasoning mix, then the buttermilk-egg mixture, then the cornmeal-breadcrumb mix.

4 Fry the green tomatoes: In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown.

Set the cooked tomatoes on paper towels to drain. These fried green tomatoes are fantastic with a little Tabasco sauce or remoulade.

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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

Links:

Homemade remoulade sauce - recipe here on Simply Recipes

Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk-Lime Dressing - from Ezra Pound Cake

Fried Green Tomatoes - from The Kitchn

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.

105 Comments / Reviews

Fried Green Tomatoes Cancel reply

Charlana dunn

Can you use jiffy corn bread mix for the corn meal
- August 3, 2020
- · Reply
Show Replies (1)
- Elise Bauer
  
  Hi Charlana, Jiffy cornbread mix has some sugar in it, so you may get a sweeter result if you use it. I’ve seen fried green tomato recipes online that use Jiffy mix, so it should work fine.
  - August 3, 2020
  - · Reply
Gary

Rinse the salt off before preparing to fry……good recipe.
- August 1, 2020
- · Reply
B. Johnson

This really is a great recipe. I used Panko in place of the breadcrumbs and half the Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning) and canola oil for frying. I have been eating fried green tomatoes my entire life and these were some of the best I have ever tasted. Thanks for a great recipe!

xxxxxyyyyy
- July 29, 2020
- · Reply
Show Replies (1)
- Elise Bauer
  
  Hi B, panko makes for the best breadcrumbs in recipes like this, doesn’t it? So glad you liked the fried green tomatoes!
  - July 29, 2020
  - · Reply
Laurel C Long

Perfect recipe! My mom recently tasted fried green tomatoes for the first time and asked me to make some for her. I tried a couple recipes, but this one is definitely the best. I will be be making it again. I added creole seasoning to the flour and also to the buttermilk/egg mixture.

xxxxxyyyyy
- July 18, 2020
- · Reply
Valarie

Made this southern favorite having gotten some perfect green tomatoes and it turned out fantastic! Added a little extra seasonings made all the difference if you want some extra flavor. Thanks for a recipe that really speaks to this old favorite.

xxxxxyyyyy
- July 16, 2020
- · Reply

Angela

YUM… it was so darn good!

xxxxxyyyyy
- July 12, 2020
- · Reply
Melissa

This recipe is awesome!

xxxxxyyyyy
- July 5, 2020
- · Reply
Leisa

I have been having them since i was a toddler. My grandma made thr best. We are having them for supper we are also having fresh squash fron the garden.
- June 14, 2020
- · Reply
Southern Boy

I’ve lived a bit over 50 years in the South, and have grown up on corn bread, greens, and fried green tomatoes. I recognize that I cannot speak for all of the South, but I can tell you that I come from generation of Southerns from North Carolina to Georgia to Florida, and have lived in multiple States in the South. My own experience is that our family, extended family, friends, and at potluck have exclusively used yellow cornmeal. I was told that it tastes better, and I agree.

As of recently, Cooks Illustrated confirmed that yellow cornmeal has a different flavor than white.
- June 4, 2020
- · Reply
Cindi

I salted and season my slice tomatoes, then prepared the flour, corn meal and bread crumbs. I used regular milk, out of buttermilk, and egg. I like the milk and egg comb. My fried green tomatoes turned out fantastic, just like my two southern grandmas fried tomatoes. You are absolutely correct, Tabasco on them taste like it was made just for fried green tomatoes. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Kind regards,
Cindi

xxxxxyyyyy
- December 6, 2019
- · Reply
Meggen

Didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted the same amount of sour cream and stirred it up to a creamy consistency with the egg. SOOOOOOO goooooooood! I tripled the seasoning though, and salted when they had just got out of the pan becasue I have had issues with flavorless green tomatos in the past. Also, used half panko and half bread crumbs since I had both, to give it some extra crunch!

xxxxxyyyyy
- October 23, 2019
- · Reply
Rena

Easy to make. White corn meal is key though. First time I’ve ever made fried green tomatoes and my family loved them! I happen to find some great green tomatoes at the farmers market that week . I think the combination of the great tomatoes, the white corn meal, and this recipe proves to be a successful result . Thanks

xxxxxyyyyy
- September 30, 2019
- · Reply
Shirley

I’ve made these for quite some time. I also make what I call Mayo with an Attitude. Here are the ingredients.
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno chile pepper, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
This is one great dipping sauce.

xxxxxyyyyy
- August 15, 2019
- · Reply
Cassandra

I just made a batch of these, they are great! I omitted the buttermilk as my husband is allergic. I also added some extra seasonings to the cornmeal/flour mixture like garlic powder. It may sound strange, but I ate a couple plain with sprinkled salt and thought they would taste really good with some good marinara sauce.

xxxxxyyyyy
- · Reply
- Kristy
  
  They are very good with marinara. I make a fried green tomato parm. Like eggplant parm but with fried green tomatoes. The tomatoes are more flavorful than the eggplant but with similar texture. Serve with pasta or without… yum
  - December 2, 2019
  - · Reply
Jeannie, Indianapolis, IN

Great! My first time and they came out perfect. I hope to save this recipe.

xxxxxyyyyy
- · Reply
Joann Thompson

I’m sure these these great, but seems like a lot of trouble to me. Slice those tomatoes thin–1/4 inch or less. Sprinkle cornmeal mix on a platter and lay the slices on top of the cornmeal. Sprinkle each slice with a little salt and pepper. Turn over slices and repeat. Let them sit for 15 minutes to draw out the juices. Spoon more cornmeal mix over the top of the slices and spread gently with your hands to cover well. Let them sit for 10 minutes or so until the breeding coats them. Sprinkle a bit more on, then turn over and do the same on the other side. The longer they sit, the more the breading will build up. Fry in 1/4″ of olive oil over medium high heat until crisp and brown on one side, then turn and brown the other side. Serve plain or dip in Ranch Dressing.
- · Reply
Brooke

I’m 77 yrs old and grew up eating fried green tomatoes. As did my mother. And all in NE Minnesota. It’s very logical when you think about it, as back in the day you’d be hard pressed to ever find a tomato ripening on the vine. Growing season was too short for the varieties available back then. Now we have to grab them early as they’ll be ripe before you know it. My mother just used seasoned flour/egg/flour. I will print your recipe & try it. Sounds yummy.
- · Reply
Michael

If you use buttermilk you do not need the egg. It comes out lighter and crisper.
- · Reply
Ania

Hi. I have a very basic question. Are the green tomatoes just unripe tomatoes? Or are they a special variety of tomatoes that are green? Thanks
- · Reply
- Elise Bauer
  
  Hello Ania, they are unripe tomatoes.
  - · Reply
  - Ania
    
    Thank you so much! I have a bunch if unripe tomatoes in my garden still. I am so excited to try this recipe! Thanks for the great blog!
    · Reply
  - Joanne Martisofski
    
    Hi, I too, were curious as to whether they were actually unripe tomatoes or a specific variety. After much research I found out that its actually a variety of tomato, which are green when they are ripe. Most articles stated that they were Heirloom tomatoes, the green variety, as heirlooms also come in a red variety. I purchased some today and plan on making them tomorrow, I cant wait!
    Also, during my research I found out the unripe green tomatoes contain a toxin. The smaller and harder the unripe tomato is, the more toxin it contains. But in one article it said you would need to consume quite a bit for the toxin to effect you.
    Idk, just wanted to share my research
    I plan to use your recipe tomorrow, it sounds delicious!
    · Reply
    - Charlie
      
      Joanne your research is incorrect, classic fried green tomato recipes call for unripe tomatoes! This is a very old southern tradition. It is NOT a type of tomato. They use unripe over ripe because 1. Back in the day ripe red tomatoes werent common in the south since the growing seasons were shorter with common tomato varties so they created recipes to enjoy unripe green tomatoes. 2. Green and unripe are firm enough to hold their shape when fried. A ripe tomato will not not hold its shape or fry right so dont use ripe tomatoes like the heirloom you mention and expect them to fry well as they will be too soggy and fragile to eat 3. This is a recipe that cooks the tomatoes and so is 100% safe and toxin free.
      Many raw veggies and fruits have small trace amounts but once you cook them they are toxin free or even when raw the traces are so negligible they dont affect people unless consumed in impossible quantities at once. People not from the south mistake tomatillos for “green tomatoes” but they arent and niether are your heirloom colored variery. Unriped tomatoes are 100% the green tomatoes in popular southern recipes. You can substitute but it will not be the same at all.
      
      · Reply
Jane

I mix Martha White’s Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix with seasoned panko bread crumbs instead of plain cornmeal and bread crumbs. That gives the tomatoes extra crunch.
- · Reply

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Fried Green Tomatoes

How to make Fried Green Tomatoes! Sliced firm green tomatoes, dipped in egg and coated with flour, cornmeal and bread crumbs, fried and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Fried Green Tomatoes?

Yes, Fried Green Tomatoes.