Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes

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By Elizabeth Taliaferro

I don’t fry foods very often. But when local green tomatoes are available, who can resist? They’re something I’ve never used a recipe to make. I just make them the way my Mom did: Slice the tomatoes, season them with salt and pepper, dredge them in cornmeal, and fry them up. When they weren’t crispy and crunchy, I just chalked it up to operator error. Perhaps my oil wasn’t hot enough or the tomatoes were sliced too thick.

But that was before I was editing recipes for our new Paula Deen’s Southern Classics. (It’s on newsstands now or available online.) Paula included a tip in her Fried Green Tomato recipe that explains why she salts the green tomatoes and lets them stand for 30 minutes before coating and frying—something neither my mother nor I had ever done. Paula said the salt pulls the water out of the tomatoes so you don’t end up with soggy breading.

So last night, I used a recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time ever. I was amazed at how much moisture the salt drew out of the tomatoes. It took a double thickness of paper towels to get them good and dry. And after frying and draining on a wire rack, they were perfectly crispy and crunchy.

If you get Paula Deen’s Southern Classics, you’ll notice we put the recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes in our Appetizer chapter because in the last ten years or so, they show up on restaurant menus more often as starters then anything else. And I must say, serving them as an appetizer with a sweet-hot salsa, remoulade, or horseradish dip is a mighty fine way to kick-start your taste buds. But they can’t be beat when served as a side dish with a mound of coleslaw, fresh purple hull peas, and a wedge of cornbread. What’s your favorite way to enjoy this Southern classic?

Until Next Time,
Elizabeth Taliaferro

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Heather Martin Jeffcoat recalls an early love of being in the kitchen. It developed from the days of being beside her Grandmother Louise as she cooked for everyone who visited her small-town Alabama home as well as time spent baking with her mother, a Michigan native transplanted to the South after marriage. To this day her mother combines the best of Northern and Southern fare. Heather now spends every spare moment in the kitchen. It’s a way for her to relax and enjoy time with her husband, son, and daughter, who often participate in cooking meals at their home. A love of writing steered Heather into journalism school and then into publishing. After several years working in print and online media, she began freelancing for Cooking With Paula Deen magazine, and she was recently tapped to join the staff full time as the managing editor. She has come to realize that her childhood memories cooking in her grandmother’s and mother’s kitchens, full of love and hospitality, have given her the best education she could have asked for.

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Reader Comments:

So loved watching jammie;s show Home For Dinner July 21. Want to make the delicious fococcia bread he made using pizza dough. Paula could u tell us how to make our banna bread dark like the one McDonalds now serves.? Had me a big bowl of grits this morn with yes real butter and salt and pepper. i am from Ark. and we do love our grits. such a wonderful comfort food. Yum-yum. While i reside in Ct. my heart will always be in the south. So ual keep those wonderful tips and dishes coming our way. WWe love u all. Rosie in Ct.

By R. Herdman on July 21, 2012

Paula This tip was so helpful!! My fried green tomatoes turned out so much better after releasing a lot of water prior to cooking them! Thank you so much for this tip!!!!!!

By Patricia McDaniel on July 18, 2012

Congratulations Paula, I saw your picture on People magazine and just had to tell you how proud you should be of your weight loss and better health. I still love all your recipes, including the butter, but now in moderation. Keep up your wonderful shows.

By Elizabeth A Schaeffer on July 02, 2012

It would have been nice to have the recipe for the Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes instead of just a plug to sell yet another cook book. Shame on you.

By Miss Pat on June 30, 2012

Where's the recipe? Janine

By Anonymous on June 27, 2012

paula i love you and the boys. i love to cook and make most of your recipes. i love the good hand me down fromm family recipes. i would love to see you or one of the boys do a show where they go to homes with families favorite recipes or holiday specials. they are the best recipes i have all my mother's favorit recipes. please don't go fat free or low carb or all that diet way we have in our world today . just don't over eat. i love good food, not all this fancy food either. i love your show and have all your books and also your boys books when they were out on the road that was a great show too. keep up the good work and keep those cook books coming. maybe have a contest with people sending in there favorite recipes and ,ake a cook book with them i would buy it. love ya thanks for being you and keep that smile. marleneeeeeeeeeeee

By marlene snedeker on June 27, 2012

I've always loved Fried Green Tomatoes. I grew up in Kentucky which produces the BEST vine-ripened tomatoes ever. The same soil that produces Kentucky's fine thoroughbred horses gives tomatoes their high acidic bite that cannot be replicated anywhere. I've tried every trick in the book while living in Savannah. My Mom made wonderful Fried Green Tomatoes. I make them just like she did - - use Jiffy Cornmeal mix. Dip once in Jiffy mix, then egg mixture, then again in the Jiffy mix. Fry in just a tad of vege. oil or bacon grease. YUM!

By DELIA SADLER on June 26, 2012

Just a note on Elizabeths' article on Fried Green Tomatoes. We like them with just about any meal. I think my favorite though, is with scrambled eggs,sausage and toast for breakfast.They are also really good to just dice up some green tomatoes and onions and saute them in some butter , then add your eggs and scramble. Oh so yummy!

By Teresa(aka:Peach)Roberts on June 26, 2012

Elizabeth Taliferro, ... You commented about "editing recipes for Paula Deen's SOUTHERN CLASSIC'S Cook Book." you mistakenly used the word "then" in one of the paragraphs about Green Tomatoes......instead of "than." ... tsk, tsk, tsk ...

By Tina Maines on June 26, 2012

IF YOU FIND YOU HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF GREEN TOMATOES AND NO TIME TO FRY THEM...MY SISTER AND I DO THIS FOR LATER EVEN AFTER THE TOMATO SEASON IS OVER. WE SLICE OUR TOMATOES PUT INTO CLEANED MASON JARS. ADD 1 TEASPOON OF SALT POUR BOILING WATER OVER TOMATOES IN THE JAR AND SEAL WELL. YOU WILL NEED TO HOT BATH THESE ALSO. WHEN READY TO EAT DRAIN WELL ON PAPER TOWELS, SALT, PEPPER COAT AND FRY...ENJOY ANYTIME OF THE YEAR!!

By JANIECE WRAY on June 26, 2012

salting and letting tomatoes drain does help... When I make stuffed tomatoes, I remove the insides, salt the inside, and overt to let them drain... I was taught that in 7th grade foods class.. I salt eggplant slices and let that drain to remove water and bitterness.

By jerrye armstrong on June 26, 2012

i have only had the chance to try these once . my mamma had a friend much older than her with a bad case of Arthur (arthritis). because of this she employed a younger 'mixed color' woman to do the cooking and cleaning. This lady never made the same dish. One late spring day she presented these wonderfully round fried things that were green in the center . i wish i could make these as good as they were that day but i tried and it doesnt seem the same.

By amyowen on June 26, 2012

My Mother N Law does the same w Eggplants before she coats to fry. Someone did meantion using water w flour or cornstarch to make the batter lighter. Have you ever tried this process? By the way, I do have some green tomatoes and I can't wait to try the recipe.

By Regina Russell on June 20, 2012

brunch...with fried salmon balls...potato pancakes..devil eggs...little yellow dress and heels..early date

By benita michelle wheeler on June 19, 2012

Pauladeen.com

Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes

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