Fried green tomatoes

If you hate wasting those end of season tomatoes (OR, you get impatient waiting for them to ripen), fry them up green and throw them into a sandwich, over some eggs, or alongside of any protein.

Take me to the tomatoes!

The keys to good fried green tomatoes, to me, are soaking overnight in buttermilk, and cooking with HOT oil. I've gotten equally delicious and crunchy results from using a little bit of oil and a lot of oil, but the heat seemed like the common denominator. And lots of salt.

I’ve also experimented a lot with corn flour and different grinds of cornmeal. I initially liked corn flour the best, but it's very easy for the flour to cake onto the tomato slice, which then doesn't cook evenly. Ultimately, my favorite was straight-up, finely ground cornmeal.

Fried green tomatoes

Time: Overnight + 25-30 minutes active cooking
Yield: about 9-16 tomato slices, depending on how big your tomatoes are

3-4 large green tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch thick slices, discarding the rounded bits*
1-2 cups milk (any fat content is fine)
1-2 Tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
2 tsp salt, divided
1 cup finely ground cornmeal
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup avocado or canola oil
Course sea salt

Thinly slice off the round side bits of the tomato. Slice the rest into 1/4-inch slices. Place the tomatoes in a container with a lid and cover them with milk and vinegar. Add 1 tsp salt, cover, and shake. Refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to 2 days.

Combine the corn meal, remaining 1 tsp salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper in a large container. Set aside.

Heat avocado oil until very hot.

Shake off excess buttermilk from 1-2 tomato slices at a time and place them in the cornmeal mixture. Cover both sides well, but shake off any excess cornmeal that seems like it’s caking.

When the oil is hot (you’ll know it’s hot enough when you add a few flecks of corn meal and it immediately starts bubbling), add as many tomatoes as will fit in your pan without touching, and fry them until golden brown. Flip over and cook the other side. When second side reaches golden brown, remove to a paper towel and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.