Rye And Cornmeal Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

Tomatoes are fairly easy for even an amateur gardener to grow, so much so that the vines often produce an abundance of vegetables. That being said, thrifty cooks don't want to waste even the green ones that fall from the vine or fail to ripen in time for the first frost. That's why, once upon a time, someone invented fried green tomatoes in order to prevent such waste.

"Unripened tomatoes," recipe developer Julie Kinnaird opines, "have a wonderful tangy flavor and firm texture that holds up during frying." Here, she's replacing the all-purpose flour used in more standard recipes with rye flour, something that she feels gives the tomatoes a nutty flavor. The rye, together with the caraway seed she uses to season the cornmeal coating, gives this dish what she calls "a bit of a Scandinavian flair." 

When paired with a dill-favored buttermilk dip (a bonus recipe for this is also included below), these fried green tomatoes make an excellent appetizer. You could also skip the dip and use them as a side dish if you prefer.

Apart from the green tomatoes themselves, you'll need eggs, rye flour, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cornmeal, and caraway seeds to dip them in, plus some vegetable oil in which to fry them. The dip that accompanies the fried tomatoes is made with sour cream, buttermilk, dill, chives, and lemon juice. If you like a little heat, be sure to have some hot sauce on hand for serving as well.

Combine the flour and paprika with a teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Mix the caraway and the rest of the salt and pepper into the cornmeal, then beat the eggs. Take each slice of tomato and dip it first into the flour, then into the eggs, and finally into the cornmeal. Kinnaird advises, "Make sure each step of the coating completely covers the entire surface of the slices to help seal the juices in."

Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with oil (for Kinnaird, this takes about half a cup). Heat the oil over medium-high, then fry the tomatoes in batches once it gets hot. (To avoid crowding the pan, keep the slices in a single layer.) The tomatoes need to cook for about 2 or 3 minutes on each side to ensure a golden-brown crust. Here, Kinnaird warns, "It is important to use caution when frying the tomatoes, especially when flipping them over, as the juices have a tendency to splash in the hot oil."

As the tomatoes finish cooking, drain them on a paper-lined pan or plate. If you want to keep them warm, you can put them in a 300 F oven.

Mix all of the dip ingredients until you have a nice smooth sauce. Taste it and add more salt, pepper, or hot sauce if you wish. You may now commence dunking and devouring the fried green tomatoes.

If you don't eat all of the fried tomatoes, Kinnaird suggests refrigerating them in a sealed container, but advises keeping them in a single layer. This, she says, will keep them from sticking together. The sauce, too, should be refrigerated. The tomatoes can be reheated in an oven or an air fryer at 375 F, but the dip is okay to eat cold.