Fried Green Tomatoes

Recipe from Around the Table: Linda Clash of Jada's Soul Food
By Vesna Vuynovich Kovach In Brava Magazine, February 2007
Column: Around the Table

Related article: Jada's Soul Food

A savory, golden brown crunch through to a tangy, subtly sweet, juicy center: that’s the essential fried green tomato experience. “This recipe was perfected last summer when my craving and quest for fried green tomatoes led me to preparing them almost every day,” Linda says. “These will definitely be on Jada’s menu this summer!”

With the right combination of ingredients and a methodical approach, you can produce this classic Soul Food dish in your own kitchen. “The key is being completely prepared before you begin the cooking process,” she says.

Fried Green Tomatoes
recipe from Linda Clash, Jada's Soul Food in Madison, Wis.
3 or 4 large, firm, green tomatoes
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Set out two bowls near the stove. In one, place the buttermilk. In the other, mix all dry ingredients. Dip each tomato slice in the buttermilk, dredge it in the dry mixture, and place in the skillet – gently, so as not to spatter hot oil. Repeat until there are several slices in the skillet, but with plenty of space around each. (Overcrowding the skillet will drop the oil’s temperature, yielding a soggy, greasy result.) Fry approximately two minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove to a plate; then dip, dredge and fry the next batch. Serve immediately.