Craving crispy snacks while watching TV or movies is very common in winter evenings. If you are bored with fried chicken or French fries, here is an unexpectedly crispy snack I know you can’t imagine. It’s fried green tomatoes! You can easily make this southern snack item at home.
A few fresh green tomatoes, spices, and a delicious dish are in hand. But no fried item is completed without a side dish. The side dish could be anything like sauce or another juicy fried thing. Here the question is, what goes with fried green tomatoes?
As green fried tomatoes taste little sour, something spicy side dish will make a perfect combination. It could be a deep sauce, fried chicken steak, prawn tikka, mac cheese, or anything that gives a kick to the sour creation. You can also get some fresh salad with fried green tomatoes.
What main dish goes with fried green tomatoes?
We know fried green tomatoes have many nutrients that benefit our health. Some main dishes go with green tomatoes. They are given below-
- Fried Chicken: Fried chicken itself is a portion of delicious food. Its tastes increase more when it serves with green tomatoes.
- Remoulade: Remoulade is creamy and spicy that can go with fried tomatoes. When you eat fried green tomatoes, you must dip them in the Remoulade sauce.
- Crab Cakes: Crab cakes are the best main dishes that can go with fried green tomatoes. Making the process of crab cakes is very easy. First, you need to have some fresh lump crab meat and then mix the meat with mayo, eggs, and spices. Then fry it until fully cooked.
Everyone will love to eat the dish with their fried green tomatoes.
- Fried Catfish: If you want to eat a crispy dish, try the fried catfish. It is flavored soft inside and crisp outside. After deep-frying, garnish with lemon. Then serve this fantastic meal with your fried green tomatoes. You can take it as a complete main dish.
- Cheese Grits & Gravy: A mixture of cheesy grits and smoky Andouille sausage is a classic Southern dish. You increase its taste by adding shrimp, seared, and serving it with your fried green tomatoes. This creamy mixture of gravy, shrimp, and tangy tomatoes makes a complete dish for lunch or dinner.
- Lobster Mac and Cheese: Lobster mac and creamy cheese make a perfect combination. It’s a simple dish with exquisite flavors. You can serve this on any occasion. If you do lobster mac and cheese with your fried tomatoes, more flavors will be added.
- Eggs Benedict: You can take eggs, Benedict, as your brunch meal. Replace your toast and biscuits with deep-fried green tomatoes and eggs benedict. Garnish it with creamy hollandaise sauce and sweet ham.
A mouthwatering dish is waiting for you!
- Black-Eyed Peas: Make a yummy main dish with black-eyed peas and fried green tomatoes. The making process is simple. Add black-eyed peas, garlic, onions, curd, red pepper, and garlic. You may add some spices to make it tangy. It’s a healthy, affordable dish for all types of people.
Then, serve the mixture with your Fried Green Tomatoes.
- Pork-chop: Forgetting extra flavor, make a sauce of pork chops and dip it in apple cider vinegar, butter, and honey, and serve with fried tomatoes.
- Country Fried Steak: Country Fried Steak is one of the delicious main dishes with fried green tomatoes.
What sauce goes with fried green tomatoes
Fried green tomato and a poached egg
This Fried Green Tomato, Poached Eggs, Benedict, bacon slices, and paprika can be your favorite breakfast.
- Green Tomatoes: Use two big green tomatoes that get four slices from each tomato.
- Eggs: You need to take two eggs for the buttermilk coating mixture and the other is for poaching.
- Bacon: You can add some bacon with black pepper.
- Buttermilk: Use buttermilk to get a thick coating on the tomatoes. If you don’t like the thick coating, you can change it with cream or cheese.
- Flour: The flour helps to absorb extra water from the tomatoes.
- Hollandaise Sauce: Hollandaise sauce is used as a dressing on the egg and adds more flavor.
Recipe:
- Cut the tomatoes and dip them into the coating batter. Always maintain the temperature of the oil. The oil should be warm and cool. The right temperature will give crispy fried green tomatoes.
- Then, cut the bacon into strips.
- Take a muffin or a grilled croissant for the base of the poached egg.
- Serve the dish with roasted potatoes or Asparagus.
Fried Green Tomatoes with Poached Eggs and Basil:
A breakfast with green tomatoes, lightly fried, poached eggs, and basil leaves will make your day.
This recipe takes just 15 mins.
Ingredients of the recipe:
- Use two medium-sized green tomatoes.
- Five eggs.
- Flour for coating.
- Salt and pepper
- Cajun seasonings.
- Basil leaves for topping.
- Picante sauce if you want to add more flavors.
Recipe:
- Cut the tomatoes into thick slices.
- Scramble an egg.
- Mix flour, panko, salt, and pepper in a bowl. You can add Cajun seasonings to add a tangy flavor.
- Dip the tomato slices into the egg and flour.
- Fry them until golden brown at 375 degrees of hot oil.
- Poached eggs into boiling water for 3 minutes.
- Then serve over the fried green tomatoes.
- Garnish with basil leaves.
You may serve this brunch meal with fresh Picante sauce as a topping.
Remoulade sauce for fried green tomatoes
Remoulade sauce makes the fried green tomatoes a delicious dish.
This sauce is made with creamy mayonnaise and lots of spices. While you put some remoulade sauce as a topping to your fried tomatoes, it will make your dish perfect.
Process of making remoulade sauce:
- Mix mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, garlic, ketchup, and lemon juice. Garnish the sauce with Creole. Then whips the mixture. Let the flavors spread by refrigerating the mixture for at least 30 minutes.
- Remoulade sauce for the fried green tomatoes:
- Slice the tomatoes in fine cut, and salt on both sides. Put the tomatoes in a bowl for about 10 minutes. It will help salts to bring out some moisture.
- Take egg and buttermilk in one bowl and batter with flour, cornmeal, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in another bowl.
- Start heating oil at 350°F.
- Then dip the tomatoes in the egg and flour mixture for a light coating.
- Keep the tomatoes in the hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown.
- Now your fried green tomatoes are ready to eat. Enjoy them with the remoulade sauce.
Fried green tomatoes and shrimp
You may have tried many dishes with traditional fried green tomatoes. Now we will discuss a new word you can try in your meal. The new delicious dish is fried tomatoes and shrimp.
Recipe: In this recipe, both types of tomatoes can be used in red or green. Though both are good, if you want a sweet and sour taste in your dish, you need to use green tomatoes. This recipe requires 40 mins.
The Ingredients you need for fried green tomatoes and shrimp
Take 1/2 cup mayonnaise, two tablespoons horseradish, and two tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice to make remoulade sauce.
- You can add black pepper, cayenne pepper, and parsley for garnishing.
- Sea salt for increasing taste.
- Green tomatoes:
Use six green tomatoes, and get 1/2-inch-thick slices from each tomato.
- Two eggs.
- One cup cornmeal
- Grated Parmesan
- Paprika.
- Olive oil.
- Peeled Shrimp.
Recipe:
- First, make remoulade sauce with mayo, lemon juice, horseradish, and spices.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Mix cornmeal, paprika, and salt (as your taste) in a bowl.
- Combine shrimp, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt in another bowl.
- Dip the tomatoes in an egg and cornmeal mixture.
- Rolled them with a baking sheet.
- Fry the tomatoes until golden brown.
- Cook the shrimp for 3 – 4 minutes.
- Garnish the cooked shrimp with parsley.
- While serving, place fried green tomatoes on a plate, add the shrimp, and garnish with remoulade sauce, lime, and minced parsley.
Why do you fry green tomatoes?
Green tomatoes are safe for our health. You may cook or fry them.
Let’s discuss some techniques for frying green tomatoes-
- Before frying, use firm green tomatoes because hard tomatoes are difficult to fry. Fry them until they turn yellow. Let the green tomatoes be yellowish if you want a mild tangy flavor.
- You should add salts before frying, which will give extra moisture to the tomatoes. Salt will also help to get a crispier coating.
- The correct temperature is also needed for perfect frying. If you fry in low heat, you will get oily tomatoes. On the other hand, if your oil is too hot, the tomatoes will burn and cause a bitter taste.
So, always use a thermometer before putting your green tomatoes.
Red tomatoes are soft and have loose seeds that will disintegrate while frying. But green tomatoes are firm and have a less disintegrating tendency during frying.
Some types of tomatoes remain green even after being ripe. They are soft, like red, ripe tomatoes. So, don’t use these for frying.
You can make a classic coating for fried green tomatoes by dipping them into flour or breadcrumb.
For doing this-
Flour is used for making coating on the tomatoes. It will absorb the excess water of tomatoes and makes them dry.
Dip them in the egg mixture. It will help to stick the coating onto the fried tomatoes. Breadcrumbs are used to give a good texture.
Are fried tomatoes good for you?
Some people think fried tomatoes are sour. But they are all rumors.
Fried tomatoes are beneficial for your health.
- Green tomatoes are rich in vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium.
- They contain antioxidants that prevent cancer cells.
- Green tomatoes have vitamin C that helps fight against flu, colds, and other illnesses.
- Green tomatoes have dietary fiber that helps in the intestinal and digestive systems. Fibre protects from heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer.
- They help to produce Beta-Carotene that keeps a healthy eye.
(Frequently Asked Questions) About Fried Green Tomatoes
What to do with green tomatoes besides frying?
Green tomatoes are firm and dry. Besides frying, you can make five items with green tomatoes.
- Make jam with them.
- You can dip them in vinegar and make a pickle of green tomatoes.
- Bake them.
- Cook them with stews and sauces.
- Make a sauce with green tomatoes for the pasta recipe.
- Green tomato pie.
How do you eat fried tomatoes?
Here are the delicious items you can eat with fried green tomatoes. Such as-
- Remoulade sauce.
- Crab cakes.
- Fried Chicken
- Cheese Grits & Gravy with fried tomatoes.
- Lobster Mac N Cheese with fried green tomatoes.
- Poached eggs with fried tomatoes and basil leaves.
- Fried Catfish.
Why do you fry green tomatoes?
Green tomatoes can tolerate heat the same as ripe tomatoes. You can cook or fry them.
They have a rigid structure. So, you cannot mush the green tomatoes in hot oil like ripe tomatoes. During cooking, it doesn’t start peeling. That’s why you can make your desired dish.
Can you use unripe tomatoes for fried green tomatoes?
Yes, you can use unripe tomatoes for fried green tomatoes. Many types of dishes can be made with them. But the green tomatoes don’t have a sweet and sour taste. They can be poisonous to health. So, avoid using these in your dish.
Are Fried Green Tomatoes rotten for you?
No, green tomatoes are good for our health. They are rich in phosphorous, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A and C. Fried green tomatoes also have dietary fiber, which helps the digestive system. Green tomatoes may be dangerous for sensitive people, leading to acidity.
Conclusion
Children to old, everyone will love the green fried tomatoes. Because of its sour taste, it will set a different flavor to your taste buds.
And the side dishes will also give an exciting combination of sweet, sour, or spicy. This is a snack that you must try at your home anytime. Also, it will be perfect for a small cocktail party or any party.
The fried green tomatoes go with every celebration. Instead of typical fried snack items, you can entertain your guests or family with these delicious crunchy fried tomatoes.
This article discusses the dishes that go with fried tomatoes. It will help you to enjoy your green tomatoes.
