Southern Fried Green Tomatoes

Slices of green tomato being fried in a cast iron skillet to make fried green tomatoes
Caption

Southern Fried Green Tomatoes made with cornmeal.

Photo Credit
Zigzag Mountain Art/Shutterstock
The Editors
Yield
4 servings
Category
Course
Special Considerations
Preparation Method
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Got green tomatoes? Try our Southern Fried Green Tomatoes recipe submitted by an Almanac reader. In this recipe, you dip unripened tomato slices in a little flour, dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture. Then fry until crispy and golden brown!

Fried green tomatoes are great as a side dish to BBQ or grilled chicken or pork chops, topped on a burger, added to a BLT, or served as an appetizer with our Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and a glass of Southern Sweet Tea.

This is the perfect way to use unripened tomatoes at the end of the growing season—or, simply pick a few green tomatoes to enjoy this summertime classic. Here are some more ideas about what to do with green tomatoes.

Recipe options:

Buttermilk: Many people don’t have buttermilk in the house, but we like using buttermilk because it allows the coating to have more sticking powder. For a buttermilk variation, substitute the “2 eggs and 2 tablespoons water” in the recipe below with “1 large egg and 1/2 cup buttermilk.”

Flour Only: If you don’t have cornmeal in the house, see this simple fried green tomato recipe made with flour only.

Ingredients

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons water
1 cup cornmeal
3 medium-size green tomatoes cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 to 3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Garnish (optional): 1/4 cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons minced red onion
Instructions

We cook these classic Southern Fried Green Tomatoes in a large cast-iron (heavy) skillet but also turn on the oven to finish cooking. 

  1. Heat the oven to 425°.
  2. To dredge the green tomatoes, we like to get out a few shallow bowls or pie plates:
    1. In one shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.
    2. In the second bowl, beat together eggs and water.
    3. In a third shallow dish, pour in cornmeal.
  3. Coat each tomato slice with flour (shake off excess), then dip in the egg mixture, then drench in cornmeal. Lay slices on a cookie sheet.
  4. In a large (cast iron) skillet over medium-high heat, pour a thin layer of canola oil to completely cover the bottom of the skillet (1/2 to 1/4 inch depth).
  5. Drop the coated tomato slices in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or just drain on paper towels.
  6. Season the hot tomatoes with salt. 
  7. Place in the oven to finish cooking, about 8 minutes.
  8. Serve tomato slices on serving plates or a large platter, then top with garnish of sour cream and red onion (or whatever you wish). Serve immediately and watch them disappear!
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The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors

We love introducing fun new recipes as well as time-tested recipes, straight from the archives! Read More from The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors

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