Fried Green Tomatoes with Rye and Remoulade
Fried Green Tomatoes with Rye and Remoulade have a crispy, savory crust and are a perfect dish for using up the last tomatoes of the season.
The first snow of the season fell this morning (and has already melted!) With freezing overnight temperatures during the week, I have been stripping the garden of the remaining squash, greens, peppers, eggplants, and LOTS of green tomatoes! CO has enjoyed a beautiful temperate fall this year so my tomato plants just keep cranking out the goods. As sad as it is to say goodbye to my generous garden, I could not be more excited to enjoy the plentiful crop of fall treats like these gorgeous tomatoes.
I have already made THREE batches of Fried Green Tomatoes with Rye and Remoulade just this week! This recipe is my absolute favorite way to enjoy the unripened gems and luckily my family agrees 🙂
The Ingredients:
I have a big mix of shapes, sizes, and varietals in my green tomato harvest and it is fun to have an array to fry up. My dredging ingredients include whole rye flour, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, fine cornmeal, and farm-fresh eggs. This is the basic recipe but it is also fun to mix in a bit of crushed caraway seed or dried dill weed to amp up the Scandi flavors. You may fry the tomatoes in canola or olive oil. Canola is more Scandinavian, however, my personal preference is to use a high-quality olive oil.
The Process for making Fried Green Tomatoes with Rye and Remoulade:
Mix the rye flour with smoked paprika, a little sea salt, and black pepper for the first dredging. This will coat the tomato slices and start to absorb the juices to prevent splattering while frying.
The next step is to dip the floured slices in the eggs, which have been whisked to break up the yolks. The egg will act as a binder for the final dredging and helps to create a nice crisp crust.
Finally, coat the green tomato slices in a mixture of fine cornmeal, sea salt, and black pepper. This would also be the dredging mixture that I would add dried herbs or other seasonings to.
I like to lay out my slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet as I coat them, so that they are neat and ready for frying.
Heat your cooking oil of choice in a heavy sauté pan or skillet. Test it with a bit of the crust to see if it is sizzling, then carefully add the tomato slices in an even layer, taking care not to crowd the pan (you will be cooking multiple batches).
Fry for 2-3 minutes on the first side, then carefully turn the slices to cook on the other side. The tomatoes should be golden brown.
As you finish a batch, transfer the fried green tomatoes to another parchment-lined baking sheet. If you plan to serve the tomatoes right away, keep them warm on this baking sheet in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven.
Serving:
Place some of the Fried Green Tomatoes on a platter or individual plates along with a bit of Remoulade. Remoulade is a creamy, flavorful sauce based on mayonnaise, with the addition of capers, mustard, pickles, and herbs. I added a bit of fresh tarragon, chives, and a hint of curry to make it especially Danish. It is a wonderful sauce to serve with potatoes, fish, or roast meats and in this case, Fried Green Tomatoes with Rye! Find my Remoulade recipe here.
The fresh tartness of the unripened green tomatoes encased in a light, crispy rye and cornmeal crust is swoon-worthy, especially when paired with the creamy piquant remoulade. I hope you will enjoy this wonderful dish as much as our family does! It certainly makes stripping the garden much less sad!
Fried Green Tomatoes with Rye and Remoulade
Ingredients
- 2 pounds firm, unripened green tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup 100% rye flour
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon Caraway seeds or dried dill weed (optional)
- Canola or olive oil, for frying
- Remoulade sauce, for serving (see notes below)
- Chopped fresh tarragon or chives for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In a shallow medium bowl, mix together the rye flour with the smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- In a second shallow medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal with the remaining salt and pepper. Add dried herbs, if desired.
- In a third bowl, whisk together the eggs until well blended.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Dredge a slice of tomato in the rye flour mixture, then dip in the egg to coat, and finish with a dredging in the cornmeal mixture. Place the slice on the parchment.
- Repeat with remaining tomato slices, laying them out on the parchment in an even layer.
- In a large heavy sauté pan or skillet, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add enough tomato slices to fill the pan in an even but not crowded layer.
- Cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Flip the slices over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked slices to another parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat the process until all tomatoes are fried. If serving right away, keep the cooked slices warm on the baking sheet in a 300° Fahrenheit oven.
- Place the fried green tomatoes on a large platter or individual plates and garnish with fresh herbs if desired and Remoulade Sauce (see notes below).
- Fried Green Tomatoes with Rye may also be reheated in an air fryer or at 400° Fahrenheit in a conventional oven.
Notes
- Be sure to use firm, unripened tomatoes for this recipe. Ripened tomatoes will be a bit too soft and juicy for frying.
- The recipe for Remoulade Sauce may be found here
- Leftover fried green tomato slices are easy to reheat and re-crisp in an air fryer or conventional oven. Do not microwave!
- Fried green tomato slices are delicious when used in a sandwich with Swedish rye bread, ham, and remoulade!
