Fried Green Tomatoes

I finally did it.

After over 3 decades of living in the south, I finally made and tried fried green tomatoes.  

The CSA gave us some leftover green tomatoes last week.   Maybe some people prefer them, and maybe they just had some heavy wind knock a few off the vines.   Either way, I wound up with a couple of large green tomatoes, and since I have more stuff on the way tomorrow, I figured I should try doing something with these.  Frying them seemed like the obvious choice, and it was not a bad one.

I had some green beans as a side, which got my normal crab-boil, liquid smoke, liquid aminos, and butter treatment.   It works well for greens and black eyed peas, so I didn't see any reason that green beans should be any different.

• Oil to coat the bottom of a pan to an eighth to a quarter of an inch
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1t Old Bay Seasoning
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large green tomato, cut into 3/8 inch slices
• Additional Old Bay to taste

Get the oil heated to at least 250F, and 300F would probably be a bit better (you'll really want a fry or candy thermometer to test that).    While that heats, get a container that will hold at least one (and preferably more) tomato slice, and put the flour, cornmeal, and first bit of Old Bay into it and mix thoroughly.   Put the buttermilk into another, similar container.

When the oil is almost up to temperature, dredge the tomato slices in the cornmeal/flour mixture to coat, then dip them in the buttermilk to coat, and then back into the cornmeal/flour mixture, before carefully placing them into the hot oil (try to lay them so any oil that splashes will splash away from you).   Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping carefully.   When they're finished, and have a nice golden-brown color, remove them to a plate covered in paper towels, and lightly season with the additional Old Bay.