ricketyclick

Mom’s growing tomatoes, so of course we’ve been playing around with frying them. Here’s Alton Brown’s recipe:

3 Green tomatoes, baseball sized
1/2 C Flour
1/2 C Cornstarch
Salt, Kosher
Pepper, black, freshly ground
pinch Pepper, cayenne
3 Eggs
2 C Crumbs, Ritz, fine
Vegetable oil

“Okay, so I’m Southern.”

Slice tomatoes into 1/4″ rounds. Spread on paper towels and cover with more paper towels, and allow to drain. (The key to successful fried tomatoes is that they must be as dry as possible prior to breading; otherwise the coating will peel off in sheets after cooking.)

Meanwhile, mix the flour and cornstarch and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. [I'd also add some garlic powder.--djm] In a separate container, beat the eggs until slightly fluffy. Put the cracker crumbs in a third container.

In a skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil to 350 degrees F. [I'd include as much bacon grease as I had on hand. --djm]

Season the slices with salt and pepper, dredge in the flour mixture, then dip in the egg, and then press into the cracker crumbs to coat.

With tongs, working in batches, gently lay them in the pan and cook until crisp and brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Transfer to a rack as they are done. [Elsewhere, Brown recommends laying the rack upside down on paper towels, so the towels immediately wick the grease away, while the rack keeps the food from sitting directly in the oil and the towels. For flat things like tomato slices, I'd also put a couple of towels on top. --djm]

I eat my ‘maters with hot-pepper vinegar and sweet iced tea.

– Brown, Alton: I’m Just Here For the Food, V 2.0; Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, p116

Mom and I will try this for dinner tonight; I’ll let you know how it goes.

[update]

Our findings:

• Tomatoes ripen from the inside out–if there is even the slightest blush visible, usually at the bottom, the insides will be red and squishy to some degree.
• Carefully slice the tomatoes to an even 1/4″. That’s pretty darn thin. (Literal rule of thumb: most men’s thumbs are almost exactly an inch wide at the knuckle.)
• Wedged slices will not cook evenly.
• Discard the the one-sided top and bottom slices.
• The flour and cornstarch pre-dredging is not the breading–it simply thickens the egg and helps it stick. A light, even dusting will suffice.
• Season the flour very heavily. Consider seasoning the crumbs instead of (or in addition to) the flour. I think you will get more flavor.
• Crush the crackers very finely, possibly with a rolling pin.
• We may have overheated the oil. Mom and I had to work as a team–I’d dredge a slice and put it in the pan, and Mom would have to take it out before I had the next one ready. Next time, I think we’ll use the electric skillet, which has a calibrated thermostat.
• We want to try dredging the entire batch before frying, to decrease the time between slices.
• Have everything set up and ready to roll before dropping the first slice in the oil. You must work fast.
• Do not let Dad take the tongs out to the grill for the brats. Use them for both dredging and retrieving the slices from the oil, just like the recipe says.
• We did not have to turn the slices. If the oil is deep enough to completely cover them (1/2″ > 1/4″), they will cook on both sides.

All that said, this is the best fried green tomatoes recipe I’ve tried. However, note that this is not under the “bachelor chow” category; it requires too much work, skill, and cleanup to qualify.