Fried Green Tomatoes

[santaman2000]

Now I’m hungry. Fortunately I just made these last week. We had them with ranch dressing.

 

[Broch]

They do look good - but you're not at all as I imagined Santaman

My first job on leaving school was a farm labourer and we had huge greenhouses full of tomatoes. At the end of the season there were tons of unripe green tomatoes and I could take as many as I wanted - my Mum never made so much green tomato chutney before or since. I wish I'd seen that recipe then

 

[slowworm]

I've never fancied or tried anything with green tomatoes in. What do they taste like (and don't say green tomato...)

The rate this year is going we might have quite a few green tomatoes to play with.

 

[santaman2000]

@slowworm I’ll try to not be pedantic regarding the taste. First imagine the difference between green tomatoes and ripe ones when both are raw: the green ones are firmer (and this more capable of standing up to frying without wilting away) and the tastes is a bit more tart. Now moving on to the fried ones as such, they obviously pick up the flavor of whatever seasoning you use (plain salt and pepper are the most common) and the crispness of the coating. Also they’re usually served with a dip such as:
-Tartar sauce (a common sauce used on seafood in the US South—-a basic substitute would be mayonnaise with a bit of pickle relish stirred i )
-Ranch style salad dressing, or
- Blue cheese style salad dressing.
It’s a bit of a taste booster dipping the hot fried tomato into the dip (Yes, it’s best if the dips are served chilled)

There are loads of variations on the basic fried tomato recipe. For example some prefer using cornmeal for the coating. Some people don’t use the egg wash. And still others use buttermilk in the wash. Still others might want to add a spicy seasoning into the dry breading mix. Etc. I tried to find the most basic recipe and method to share and let whoever wants to try it build on his or her own tastes. For myself I have to find a gluten free coating when I make them for my daughter (Usually cornmeal or a GF breadcrumb mix)

@Broch I’ve found that most new things are rarely as I imagined them. LOL. I like chutneys too.

 

[Billy-o]

Cheers Santaman. Moving house right now and our garden is full of green tomatoes .... so we going to be looking for options there beyond ginger chutney

 

[Robson Valley]

The starch in corn meal and corn flour does not hydrate/get wet like wheat flour starch does.
Therefore any batter or dry mix will be more crispy.

I do my pan-fried GT in the thinnest smear of bacon fat for theadded flavor.

 

[demographic]

Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe. Quite a good film as I remember.

Anyway, that film title caused me to give em a go, yeah nice to eat as well.

 

[santaman2000]

The starch in corn meal and corn flour does not hydrate/get wet like wheat flour starch does.
Therefore any batter or dry mix will be more crispy.

I do my pan-fried GT in the thinnest smear of bacon fat for theadded flavor.

I don’t really know the chemistry as such. I do know that corn meal works better for me (gets crispier) than flour (from decades of experience) Both on green tomatoes and fried fish (but I’ll stick to flour for frying chicken, although finding a gluten free flour that works well has been difficult) The chemistry aside, I do know that less moisture is something I seek in the crust of most fried foods (wetter is soggier) Is that what you’re saying?

By the way, I like bacon fat as a frying grease also. That said, I think our British friends might like beef tallow better.

The bottom line is use whatever works for you personally And don’t be afraid to experiment.

 

[Robson Valley]

Hey Santaman: If anybody offers you fried green tomatillos, be polite and decline. They really are the shits.
Bitter and nothing can hide that.

Yeah, the deal is the biochemistry of the starch grains. Wheat starch hydrates very easily so that's a key positive with the wheat gluten protein for making all sorts of chewy bready things.

Corn starch grains suspends in water but they do not really get wetted very well.
The result is that they cook to a crisp.

Any Asian DF foods = shrimp and chicken, the batters all are really heavy on the corn flour.
I want crisp. I don't want chewy and tough (wheat flour).

As a note added in proof, go to a big grocery store.
Look at the list of ingredients on packages of pancake and waffle mix.
Look at the list of ingredients on any and every packet of DF batter mix.
Fish, onion rings, you name it.
Most always, you will see corn flour listed as the #1 biggest ingredient.

 

[santaman2000]

@Robson Valley Now you’ve got me wanting onion rings!

 

[Robson Valley]

Do it. Start with a store-bought DF mix. Deep pot, 1" oil.
After that, start building your own recipe from 10 others off the internet.

Just really savory chicken fajita tonight with onions and peppers, maybe some corn tortilla.

I'll buy DF fish (haddock) and chips this Friday if I can wait that long.
One place does really good onion rings so I can get a solid hit to last me.
They actually sell 1 pound bags of their own batter mix for us stay-at-home folks.

Actually, it would not break my arm to whistle up some onion rings tonight as well.

I have put the word out that I need a couple of big green tomatoes.
Edit: MX from the Certified Organic Veg farm that I buy from.
They will have the green tomatoes that I need.