It’s true! Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes are a cherished, summer season custom within the South!
Whether or not consuming at residence or eating out within the South within the scorching days of summer season, if you realize that fried inexperienced tomatoes are going to be served or are on the menu, you received’t hesitate to order this well-known staple! Actually, it might virtually be an unthinkable sin to move up on this iconic regional dish!
Wager you may’t eat only one!
This fried inexperienced tomatoes recipe is so easy and so scrumptious. Biting into the crunchy golden breading and into the tangy inexperienced tomato taste takes you to summer season meals bliss in each single chunk! Oh sure, they might be stubbornly unripe and inexperienced, however that’s the right time to whip up a batch of this straightforward Southern specialty deal with all through summer season! It’s OK to indulge every now and then on some fried meals. Apart from, in case you simply eat a number of bites, my philosophy is that it’s completely high-quality to take pleasure in every little thing . . . in little bites!
When backyard season is in full swing and farmers’ markets and stands are open, these shiny, inexperienced beauties shall be ready to look in your desk. I’m all the time so jazzed when my backyard produces inexperienced tomatoes in order that I could make the BEST Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes EVER! Don’t have a backyard? No downside . . . head to your native farmers’ market or roadside stand to choose up some. Inexperienced tomatoes can be found all through the summer season, however primarily early within the season.
So for these of us who’ve inexperienced tomatoes in your gardens, it’s time to organize this conventional Southern recipe.
Earlier than the massive batch of crimson tomatoes is able to harvest, you merely pluck off the vine, some unripe, inexperienced tomatoes, after which encrust them in a superbly scrumptious, seasoned breading. After which fry them till crispy, golden brown! To high it off, take these infants for a dip on this superb buttermilk sauce! It truly is excessive!
And YES, that is THE. BEST. Fried Inexperienced Tomato recipe. EVER!
The key ingredient on this recipe: GARLIC!
With an outstanding buttermilk sauce to slop throughout the fried tomatoes, stuffed with fresh-cut herbs from my backyard PLUS extra garlic and chunks of thick-cut bacon . . . completely heavenly . . . not fairly completely Southern with the addition of the garlic . . . however TOTALLY AWESOME! The character of this recipe additionally comes from some scorching sauce added to the garlic-y buttermilk and Italian breadcrumbs to the crust!
If attainable, use a heavy cast-iron pan. Additionally bear in mind to pick out agency inexperienced tomatoes, and fry in highly regarded oil at 360° (F).
So go seize an ice chilly glass of candy tea and simply sit on a few rocking chairs on the entrance porch whereas having fun with the corporate of these you’re keen on and nibble on this traditional Southern deal with — The BEST Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes with Garlic, Bacon and Buttermilk Sauce!
our entrance porch in South Carolina the place we go to easily odor the roses, to sip on some ice-chilly candy tea and nibble on good eats!
What’s the Greatest Breading for Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes?
- Breading is usually a private alternative.
- Some cooks desire cornmeal and others desire flour.
- Many individuals desire to make use of panko right now.
- After which, after all, you may all the time create a mix of any of those to give you your individual breading.
How To Make Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes
Make this traditional Southern dish in three easy steps!
- Slice inexperienced tomatoes 1/4-inch thick. You’ll want about 3 giant inexperienced tomatoes for this recipe.
- Coating the tomato slices in breading. You’ll want 3 shallow dishes or plates to bread the tomato slices: Fill the primary with flour, salt, and paprika — this layer seasons the tomatoes and offers the eggs one thing to cling to. Fill the second with whisked buttermilk, eggs, and scorching sauce collectively, and within the third, mix breading (cornmeal, flour, panko, and so forth.).
- Fry the tomatoes in a forged iron skillet that retains warmth, making it your best option for frying.

all the time lay tomatoes out on baking racks with a beneficiant sprinkling of salt to drag the liquid out of tomatoes
Cook dinner the breaded tomatoes in scorching oil in a heavy cast iron skillet . . . prepare dinner till a phenomenal golden colour outcomes!

the very good garlic buttermilk sauce that makes the entire distinction! Put together this by including the entire elements in a medium-size mixing bowl.
.Get pleasure from!!
Useful Ideas for Making Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes
- For one of the best outcomes, step one to nice fried inexperienced tomatoes is selecting the correct tomatoes:
- At all times choose the firmest, shiny, completely inexperienced, unripe tomatoes with out blemishes, spots, and so forth.
- Don’t use tomatoes which have the slightest yellow, orange, or crimson tint as they’re changing into to ripe and shall be mushy.
- Don’t use tomatillos or heirloom tomatoes for a similar cause.
- You need a full-sized tomato that’s agency, not arduous to the contact.
- Select any number of tomatoes that you just like, they mainly all style the identical when they’re inexperienced.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
- Tomatoes comprise lots of water so it’s CRUCIAL to attract the juice out of the sliced tomatoes to assist the breading stick properly. So bear in mind to ‘salt’ and ‘blot’ with paper towels. The salt helps take away the liquid. Blotting additionally helps after which removes the salt.
- The important thing to breading the tomatoes is to make use of one hand for dry elements and the opposite for moist elements. You can too use tongs or two forks to deal with the tomatoes.
- Prepare the breaded tomatoes on a wire rack to set the coating.
- Use a big heavy, forged iron skillet
- Warmth your oil on medium-high warmth till it reaches your required temperature of 350° F.
- As soon as the oil shimmers, take a look at the temperature and timing by frying one tomato slice. As soon as the oil is scorching, proceed frying.
- Fastidiously place every slice of tomato into the recent oil and fry till golden brown on either side.
- Don’t overcrowd the skillet.
- Drain the fried tomatoes on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil.
- SOGGY TOMATOES? Your cooking oil was not scorching sufficient. A thermometer helps assure 350° F
What to Serve with Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes
Since tomatoes are a summer season vegetable and are inexperienced solely at the moment, we HIGHLY suggest that fried inexperienced tomatoes be served alongside different conventional summer season meals equivalent to:
- Grilled hamburgers or scorching canine
- BBQ Ribs or Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Corn on the cob
- Backyard-fresh leaf lettuce salad
- Strawberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries with vanilla ice cream
- Ice-cold tea (candy tea within the South)
- Be CREATIVE and serve them stacked excessive on a plate with pimento cheese unfold between every slice!
- Place them on high of a juicy hamburger.
- Embrace them in a bacon, lettuce, and tomato (BLT) sandwich.
- Even reduce them up and toss in a salad!
PIN FOR LATER!
Extremely Really useful Kitchen Gear To Put together This Recipe:
OXO 5″ Serrated Utility Knife
Set of 3 Cast Iron Skillets
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Garlic-Buttermilk Coating
Breading
Garlic, Bacon Buttermilk Sauce
Put together the Garlic, Bacon Buttermilk Sauce
- Cook dinner at the least 4 slices of bacon till properly browned and cooked completely.
- Permit bacon to chill after which chop it up into tiny items.
- Mix and blend the buttermilk and mayonnaise in a small mixing bowl.
- Add the chopped bacon, Italian parsley, chives,mustard, chili sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Combine nicely, cowl and chill.
Put together the Tomatoes
- Lay paper towels on high of a number of cookie/baking racks and place in a baking sheet.
- Lay the tomato slices on the paper towels, generously sprinkling every layer of sliced tomatoes with roughly 1 – 2 tsp. of salt (on every layer).
- Permit the salted tomatoes to take a seat and sweat for half-hour.
- Shake the liquid from the tomatoes and pat dry with clear paper towels.
- Warmth a deep heavy pan half-way filled with canola or vegetable oil, on the best setting.
Put together the Garlic-Buttermilk Coating
- In a medium sized, shallow baking dish, combine the buttermilk, egg, chili sauce and garlic powder collectively.
Put together the Breading
- In one other medium sized, shallow baking dish, combine the flour, cornmeal, Italian breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and ½ tsp. every of salt and pepper.
Preparation of the Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes
- Place every slice of tomato within the buttermilk combination and coat nicely on either side, and permitting additional milk to drip off.
- Place buttermilk-coated tomato slices within the flour-cornmeal combination, protecting either side and barely urgent down for the dry coating to stay.
- Repeat the dipping into buttermilk and again into the flour-cornmeal combination a SECOND time, once more gently urgent in order that the double-coating sticks.
- Instantly and punctiliously place the coated tomato slices into the ‘very’ scorching oil in a heavy forged iron skillet, being cautious to not splatter the recent oil and never overcrowding the tomatoes.
- I prefer to prepare dinner about 5 or 6 slices at a time in order that the temperature of the oil doesn’t drop and trigger the tomatoes to prepare dinner slower and turn into extra greasy.
- The slices of tomatoes ought to be golden grown after about 2 – 4 minutes.
- When cooked, fastidiously take away tomato slices from the recent oil with a big slotted utensil and place on clear paper towels to soak up oil.
Notes
- Very tailored from Style Of The South, most particularly by including the garlic and Italian breadcrumbs to the recipe, making it 10 instances higher! You’ll style the distinction!!!
.This put up
For those who take pleasure in BOTH Fried Inexperienced Tomatoes AND Italian Delicacies, right here’s an outstanding recipe that I created that I’m certain you’ll take pleasure in!
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And right here’s the straightforward and freshest Marinara Sauce recipe that I make contemporary from the backyard:
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Lastly, listed here are TWO (sure, two) extra incredible and genuine Southern recipes to make use of with my Fried Inexperienced Tomato Recipe:
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S.C. Fried Inexperienced Tomato Breakfast Sandwich with Pimento Cheese, thick Applewood Smoked Bacon and Egg
Ideas for Frying Greens
- When breading veggies the rule is: dry sticks to moist and moist sticks to dry. Moist with moist doesn’t work; likewise, dry with dry doesn’t work.
- To get the breading to stay to greens, first, pat the veggies dry as a lot as attainable. Then dredge them in a little bit of seasoned flour (cornstarch or rice flour to make a crispier finish product).
- Subsequent dredge the greens in your moist batter – both an egg wash or egg-buttermilk mixture or you may attempt a tempura batter consisting of 1 cup ice water, 1 egg, and 1 cup flour.
- End with a ultimate dunk in some panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) or different dried, seasoned high-quality breadcrumbs.
- You’ll be able to both deep fry your coated veggies or fry them in at the least 1″ deep of oil on reasonable warmth to keep away from burning.
- Additionally, bear in mind to be extraordinarily mild when flipping over the greens in order that the coating stays in tack.
This put up was first revealed in 2014 and re-posted with extra data in 2025.