When life hands you green tomatoes, it’s time to get frying. Fried green tomatoes were not a part of my childhood. I grew up on KD (Kraft Mac and Cheese), Swanson’s TV dinners and Jello molds. We were a modern family!
I was recently gifted a big basket of green tomatoes and decided to make a fried green tomato salad. Never having made them before, I did a quick google search and discovered many different methods. Some swear by deep frying, other recommend a shallow fry. Some use cornmeal for breading, others extol the virtues of rice flour. I turned to Erin at Dish Catering for a lesson. Her team made them for our daughter’s wedding weekend and they were so delicious.
The secret to that outer crispy shell is Panko breadcrumbs mixed with finely chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Set up a breading station. Dip first in flour, then beaten eggs and finally the Panko breadcrumbs.
Make sure to slice the green tomatoes quite thick, about a 1/2 inch. Lay slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Salt the tomatoes and leave them sit for about 15 minutes before breading.
A neutral vegetable oil, such as sunflower or safflower is good for frying. Heat oil to about 350°F. (Bust out your instant read thermometer). If your oil is too cold the tomatoes will be soggy. Too hot and the coating will burn before the inside gets creamy and soft. Don’t crowd the pan and be patient. Don’t flip until they are deeply golden brown. Drain on a paper towel, lightly salt and transfer to a wire rack to cool. They will stay crispy for at least an hour or two after frying.
If you can still find some ripe yellow and red tomatoes, it looks so beautiful to mix them into the salad. A bit of soft fresh cheese, like fior de latte or buffalo mozzarella is the perfect creamy contrast to the crispy fried tomatoes. I made a basil vinaigrette for drizzling over the salad.
A perfect way to say goodbye to summer.
