Fried Green Tomatoes
How to make Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
4 green tomatoes (not ripe)
1/2 cup of beaten milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup cornmeal
Fried beer-battered green tomatoes
4 green tomatoes, firm and washed
Rapeseed or vegetable oil (for frying)
1 egg
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
20 cl of dark beer
salt
pepper
Preparation
Choose your tomatoes carefully. Choose firm, medium-sized tomatoes – soft, older tomatoes will tend to soften when you fry them.
If you’re picking your green tomatoes, pick ones that are just starting to get a slight pink tinge.
These are best for frying because they are a little less bitter than fully green tomatoes and have some of the delicious flavors of red tomatoes.
Heat a medium-sized skillet. Cast iron skillets are perfect for this recipe, but you can use any large skillet. Pour between an inch and an inch and a half of oil into the pan. You don’t want to drown your tomatoes in oil, so just put a little more than an inch of oil in the pan.
Add 3 tablespoons of bacon grease to the oil to give it a little more flavor, and mix it with the oil until it is relatively diluted. The bacon fat will add an extra dose of salty flavor to your tomatoes.
Wash the tomatoes in freshwater. Clean them well to remove any dust or dirt that may be on the surface of your tomatoes. Wipe them down with paper towels and move to the cutting board. It will be a little easier to cut them if you have wiped them well with a paper towel.
Slice the green tomatoes. Cut them into slices almost a centimeter thick so that the slices stay together when you fry them. For even more solid pieces, cut the tomatoes into three pieces.
If you are concerned that your green tomatoes might be a little bitter (very green tomatoes can be), add a sprinkle of sugar to each side of your tomato slices. The sugar will hide the bitterness.
Make a sauce to dip your green tomatoes in. There are many recipes you can use.
The most common is a mixture made with 1/2 cup of beaten milk and an egg.
Beat the two ingredients together.
If you don’t have beaten milk, you can beat 3 eggs together. If you want to add a creamy touch to the mixture, you can add a little milk.
Prepare the crispy layer for your green tomato slices. There are still many ways to do this part of the recipe. The most common is to use 1/2 cup of cornmeal.
Mix 1/4 cup of flour with 1/2 cup of cornmeal. Add a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Mix all ingredients well and set aside.
If you don’t have cornmeal on hand, you can use flavored bread crumbs (Italian bread or cracked pepper are fine). You can also crush some salted crackers (Ritz, for example) and put the breadcrumbs aside in a salad bowl. The idea is to add a little crunch to the fried green tomatoes.
Pour 1/4 cup of flour into a bowl. Put the green tomato slices in the flour, covering them evenly on both sides. Once you’ve done that, put the flour-covered slices into the beaten milk and egg mixture for a moment, making sure to cover them with the liquid. After dipping them in the beaten milk, place them on top of the cornmeal (or other breadcrumbs you are using). Make sure to cover them generously with the breadcrumbs.
Fry the green tomatoes. Place each tomato slice in the hot oil in the pan. Each slice should have some space; if they touch each other, they may stick to each other as you fry them. Fry them for three minutes on each side. A good way to tell if they are ready is to watch them until a golden brown layer forms on their surface.
Remove the green tomato slices from the pan when they are golden brown.
Remove them from the pan one by one with kitchen tongs. Place them on a plate covered with paper towels. The paper towel will absorb the grease that is left on the tomato slices, making them crisp.
Serve them with salt and pepper, bon appétit! You can add a “ranch” sauce or your preparation.