Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

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This traditional Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe has tomato slices soaked in buttermilk and fried in cornmeal, and they are absolutely delicious. Serve with a side of homemade remoulade sauce and meet your new favorite recipe!

Fried green tomatoes stacked on a sliver tray with a side of remoulade sauce.


 

It took me 35 years and a formal culinary education to finally try a proper southern Fried Green Tomatoes recipe. And all I can say is, it was worth the wait! These are ridiculously good.

Thick slices (dare I say slabs?) of green tomatoes are soaked in buttermilk for an added tangy flavor. Then, dredge them in a spiced cornmeal mixture for a crispy, crunchy texture loaded with flavor.

The Homemade Remoulade Sauce puts them right over the top, too. Between the creamy sauce and the crunchy coating on the green tomatoes, you’ll be hooked!

Recipe ingredients

Fried green tomato ingredients.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Buttermilk: To make your own buttermilk, whisk together 2 cups whole or 2% milk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let stand for 10 minutes to curdle.
  • Cajun seasoning: To make your own, whisk together 1 ½ tablespoons paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme, and 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder.
  • Green tomatoes: Unripened green tomatoes are firm, tart, and perfect for this recipe. Heirloom tomatoes work too.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. To make the remoulade, in a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Add salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Stir to combine and garnish with fresh parsley. Cover and chill until serving time.
A bowl of remoulade sauce on a blue plate.
  1. To make the tomatoes, in a medium bowl, combine buttermilk and cajun seasoning. Add tomato slices and turn until evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for 5 minutes.
Soaking green tomatoes in buttermilk for Fried Green Tomatoes.
  1. Meanwhile, In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Working with one tomato slice at a time, remove from buttermilk and add to cornmeal, tossing to coat. Remove to a cooling rack set upon a rimmed baking sheet, and continue with remaining tomato slices.
Soaking green tomatoes in buttermilk for Fried Green Tomatoes.
  1. In a large pot or cast iron skillet over medium high heat, heat canola oil to 375 degrees. Working in batches, fry each tomato slice in a single layer until golden brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip each slice and continue frying until second side is golden brown.
Fried green tomatoes frying in a vat of oil.
  1. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve with homemade remoulade sauce.
Fried green tomatoes on a baking sheet.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes about 4 servings from 3 pounds of tomatoes, about 3 slices tomatoes and ¼ cup remoulade per serving.
  • Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Make ahead: The remoulade can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The buttermilk can be made the day before (store covered in the refrigerator), and the cajun seasoning can be made up to 6 months in advance. The tomatoes are best fried right before serving time.
  • Standard breading procedure: We skip the typical standard breading procedure of eggs, all-purpose flour, and breadcrumbs here in favor of a Cajun-spiced cornmeal mixture. This allows for a shatteringly-crisp, less gummy texture without the extra moisture and a truer Fried Green Tomatoes experience.
  • Serving suggestions: These are great on their own or on the side of other Southern favorites. Or, pile fried tomatoes on your next BLT or burger.
  • Dipping sauce: Thousand Island dressing or Ranch dressing are non-traditional but equally delicious options for dipping fried green tomatoes. Or try Comeback sauce, a mixture of Thousand Island and Remoulade Sauce.
  • Mardi Gras: Gearing up for Fat Tuesday? I’ve pulled together 30+ Mardi Gras Recipes to help you celebrate. My One Pot Cajun Pasta is a easy and delicious, and you can never go wrong with a Shrimp Po’ Boy, some Jambalaya, a platter of Shrimp Étouffée, or a Muffaletta. Wind down the meal with a slice of King Cake or some Beignets and a Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans.
Fried green tomatoes on a baking sheet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best sauce for fried green tomatoes?

I love a creamy, flavorful remoulade for my fried green tomatoes. Or try Comeback sauce, a mixture of Thousand Island Dressing and Remoulade Sauce.

What is Comeback sauce?

Comeback sauce is similar to a combination of Thousand Island Dressing and Remoulade Sauce. To make it, whisk together: ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper).

When did fried green tomatoes become popular?

You may have heard of the book or movie “Fried Green Tomatoes.” The original book by Fannie Flagg is called “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.” The book and movie caused the dish to surge in popularity across the United States.

More New Orleans favorites

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A stack of fried green tomatoes with a side of remoulade.

Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

This traditional Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe has tomato slices soaked in buttermilk and fried in cornmeal, and they are absolutely delicious. Serve with a side of homemade remoulade sauce and meet your new favorite recipe!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings (3 slices + ¼ cup remoulade each)
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 616
5 from 20 votes

Ingredients 

For the remoulade:

For the tomatoes:

Instructions 

  • To make the remoulade, in a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Add salt, pepper, tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Stir to combine and garnish with fresh parsley. Cover and chill until serving time.
  • To make the tomatoes, in a medium bowl, combine buttermilk and cajun seasoning. Add tomato slices and turn until evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Working with one tomato slice at a time, remove from buttermilk and add to cornmeal, tossing to coat. Remove to a wire rack set upon a rimmed baking sheet, and continue with remaining tomato slices.
  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry each tomato slice until golden brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip each slice and continue frying until second side is golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Buttermilk: To make your own buttermilk, whisk together 2 cups whole or 2% milk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and let stand for 10 minutes to curdle.
  2. Cajun seasoning: To make your own, whisk together 1 ½ tablespoons paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme, and 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder.
  3. Green tomatoes: Unripened green tomatoes are firm, tart, and perfect for this recipe. Heirloom tomatoes work too.
  4. Yield: This recipe makes about 4 servings from 3 pounds of tomatoes, about 3 slices tomatoes and ¼ cup remoulade per serving.
  5. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  6. Make ahead: The remoulade can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The buttermilk can be made the day before (store covered in the refrigerator), and the cajun seasoning can be made up to 6 months in advance. The tomatoes are best fried right before serving time.

Nutrition

Serving: 3slicesCalories: 616kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 10gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 26gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 666mgPotassium: 583mgFiber: 5gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 1619IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 174mgIron: 2mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

  1. Hi Meggan –

    Is there a way to substitute the buttermilk with a non-dairy ingredient without compromising the dish?

    Many thanks, Grace

    1. Hi Grace, I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would use 2 cups of a non-dairy milk alternative that is unflavored and unsweetened, and still add a the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to it (note 1) to add the tanginess that the buttermilk provides in this recipe. Please write again with any questions! I would love to hear how it turns out. – Meggan

  2. Oh my God. First and foremost, thanks for the homemade buttermilk tip. I will be using this remoulade recipe a million different ways. Everything came out perfect! Thanks!5 stars

  3. I tried the fried green tomatoes and remoulade sauce and it was absolutely delicious. Required a little time to prepare but quite worth the effort. My husband loved them and with corn on the cob, a meal hard to beat.5 stars

  4. It’s hard to find experienced people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

  5. I made your recipe tonight and it was a huge hit with my family.  Followed your instructions, marinating the green tomatoes in a buttermilk bath for 2 hours. Simply the best fried green tomatoes and remoulade we’ve ever enjoyed. 5 stars

    1. Hi Bob, thank you so much!!! I absolutely ADORE this recipe. We made it in culinary school and I liked it so much, I ended up making a variation for one of my final exams. I’m delighted that you liked the recipe too. Makes my day! Take care and thanks again. -Meggan

  6. Uh, where are the eggs in the ingredient list? I assume 2 yolks. How about the olive oil? Did you substitute the mayo in the list for these ingredients?

    1. Hi Jacqui, I’m so sorry and terribly embarrassed. When I first posted this recipe, I had a from-scratch version of remoulade (the one we made in culinary school, with egg yolks), but then I decided that was way too fussy and no one would ever make it. So I swapped it out for a mayonnaise-based version with the same flavors added in. It still tastes great but maybe someone might actually make it?! But regrettably I ONLY updated the ingredients, not the instructions, which leads to your question… what is going on here?! So I fixed the instructions, and I’m sorry, and if for some reason you want the original from-scratch version of remoulade, please let me know. I should probably just post both versions. Thanks and sorry again, I’m horrified at the terrible mistake!

  7. I love fried green tomatoes. Will have to try this out sometime! Thanks for sharing :) Beautiful photos