Growing up, weekend breakfast was always a big deal. We’d go all out with eggs, bacon, grits casserole, waffles, french toast…(not all at one time, of course). It was our time to hang out, talk and basically just make a mess in Mom’s kitchen. One thing I always remember having were fried tomatoes. I always knew of fried green tomatoes, but we always just had regular red ones. To be honest, for a long time [longer than I'd like to admit] I actually thought that “green tomatoes” were just a different breed. So…you know…we were just eating Fried Red Tomatoes, right?? Ha. Wrong.

I’ve since learned, just why it is that people fry the green ones, instead of the red, ripe ones. Wayyyy easier to cook them. Way easier. I don’t know what we were thinking all those years with our goopy fried red tomatoes! Although, they were pretty delicious.  :)

Growing up, we always used Zatarrain’s Fish Fry for the breading. To be honest, it really does make an awesome tomato. It crisps well and has just the right amount of spice which, in my opinion, is crucial in a fried green tomato. But if it’s not something you have in your pantry, this recipe is just as tasty and super easy!

GREEN’S FRIED TOMATOES – A Milk Truck original

2 or 3 green tomatoes, sliced – the firmer your tomato, the easier it will be to fry!

1 cup flour

1-1.5 cups Panko bread crumbs – I recommend the Japanese bread crumbs because they retain their “crunch” once they’re fried. No floppy tomatoes here! 

1 egg

canola oil – you can use any oil here, but canola handles high heat well and doesn’t mess with the flavor

salt

black pepper

cayenne pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

1) First things first. Set up your “dredging station”. I like to use shallow plates or dishes for this and I put my dish with my egg mixture first, followed by my flour mixture, and make sure they’re right up next to my pan.

Crack your egg into the first dish and stir it with a fork or wisk until mixed.

Next, combine your flour and panko bread crumbs in the second dish. Add all of the spices listed to taste and combine well. I “eyeball” this, but my approximate measurements are probably about 1.5 tsp cayenne, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, then I add about ten cracks of fresh black pepper and a couple pinches of salt.I like a good amount of heat in mine, but you can adjust this to your liking. Get crazy!

2) Pour enough canola oil into the pan to just cover the entire bottom of the pan. Maybe about 1/4 inch deep. Keep it out because you will need to add more as you cook. Turn your stove onto medium high heat – like you would to cook bacon.

3) Once your pan is hot, dredge your tomatoes. Dip in the egg mixture to coat both sides, then turn it in the flour/bread crumb mixture. Make sure it’s really well coated! Now drop it lay it gently into your pan with your hot oil. You can usually get several in the pan at once. NOTE:Your oil should bubble a little around your tomatoes if it’s hot enough. If it doesn’t, just wait to put more tomatoes in until you see that happen.

4) Cook them until browned on both sides – about 5-6 minutes depending on your heat. As you continue to cook them you may need to add a little more oil to your pan – do this slowly and be careful not to splatter. Your tomatoes will also start to cook faster as you go along, so be careful to watch them!

5) Remove them from the pan and lay on a paper towel or brown paper to drain.

Enjoy these babies while they’re still warm!! One of my favorite scenes in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes is when Ruth and Idgie are in the kitchen and they eat some of the fresh fried green tomatoes off the plate. Hearing the sound they make when they bite into them, makes me want one EVERY time! haha Funny what foodies pay attention to in movies…

These are great on their own, but for breakfast try them with some country ham or bacon and a poached egg on top. If you’re making them for lunch or dinner, they’re great with a little smear of pimento cheese & a dollop of strawberry jam, or just drizzled with ranch dressing. Oh, you know, basically any Southern condiment goes well with fried green tomatoes.  ;)