This is a recipe that I recently created to feature as my tasting at the 10th Annual “Delicious Destinations” gala to benefit the St. Vincent’s Health Foundation of Jacksonville, FL.

Even if you’re not a tomato lover I would encourage you to give fried green tomatoes a shot.  The flavor is nothing like a ripe tomato.  Green tomatoes used for frying are simply hard, immature tomatoes.  Often used as a side item when ripe tomatoes weren’t on hand, or during the fall when immature tomatoes would be running the risk of falling prey to the first frosts of autumn/winter.

In some areas, such as the Pennsylvania-Dutch region of Lancaster Co., PA I have heard of people frying red ripe tomatoes.  I have not had ripe tomatoes fried nor have I tried making them.  I think the appeal of Fried Green Tomatoes lies in the contrast of flavors.  The tart, acidic taste of the tomato blends nicely with the crisp rich flavor of the breaded coating.

Traditionally fried green tomatoes are often sliced and dredged in a cornmeal coating.  I’ve never really been a fan of cornmeal coated fried green tomatoes, usually because of the texture and lack of flavor.  While I often like to use flavored crackers that are ground into a fine meal in the food processor for my coating, in this instance I’ve used Japanese-style Panko breadcrumbs since I was planning to serve this for 300-400 guests.  The Panko crumbs add a nice crispy texture and for the volume I was serving made the preparation much less tedious.

Don’t let the length of this recipe scare you away from trying it yourself.  None of the components are hard or very time-consuming.  The ChowChow can be made a week in advance or could even be made and canned according to standard canning protocol so that you always have it on hand!  The crab salad will be better if prepared a day in advance to allow the flavors to meld and the tomatoes can be breaded and frozen placed out flat on a sheet pan.  Once frozen, they can be put into a zip-loc bag and stored in the freezer.  When you’re ready to fry, simply place them a few at a time into pre-heated 350 degree oil and fry until they are a medium-dark iced tea color.

[print_this]Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab Salad & Pepper Chow-Chow
Fried green tomatoes are a classic southern side item. In this appetizer I’ve paired them with two other southern classics: crab and the sweet & sour relish known as “chow-chow”. The sweet tart flavor of chow-chow helps to contrast the rich sweet flavor of the crabmeat. The recipe for the relish will make more than is needed so keep it on hand in the refrigerator to zip up a sandwich or serve with grilled meats.

Yield: 10 portions (1 tomato slice per portion)

Chow-Chow: (1 ½ cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium yellow bell pepper, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (abou1 1 ½ cups)
1 ½ cups cider vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
½ hothouse cucumber, Cut in half, and seeded
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
6 drops Tabasco sauce

Combine diced bell peppers, onion, vinegar and sugar in a 3-quart non-reactive saucepan and place over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Turn heat down to medium and simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until peppers and onions become translucent and syrup thickens. While vegetables are simmering, cut each half of cucumber in half again and slice cross-wise into thin triangular pieces. Set aside. When peppers and onions are soft, translucent and syrup has thickened, stir in the cucumbers, kosher salt, and Tabasco sauce. Set aside to cool. Refrigerate if making in advance. (Chow-chow can be bottled and sealed according to standard canning protocol if you’d like to make a large batch and store in the pantry. It can also be refrigerated for up to a month.)

Crab Salad: (3 cups)
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
Zest and juice of half a lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspons lemon juice)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
½ lb. lump crabmeat, picked over to remove bits of shell

Combine everything except crabmeat in a medium mixing bowl and mix to blend well. Gently squeeze out any excess moisture from the crabmeat and add to the mayonnaise & sour cream mixture. Gently fold crabmeat in until it is evenly coated with the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Crab salad can be prepared up to 2 days in advance)

Fried Green Tomatoes:
Slicing tomatoes vertically instead of horizontally will yield more solid content per slice and make them less likely to fall apart.

½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Old-Bay seasoning (or similar)
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ cup buttermilk
6 dashes of Tabasco sauce
2 green tomatoes
2 cups Panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
Vegetable, canola, safflower, corn or peanut oil for frying

Combine the flour, old-bay seasoning, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper in the center of a large plate and mix well. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg, Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, buttermilk, and Tabasco sauce until blended.

Wash tomatoes and cut out the core using the tip of a paring knife. Slice the tomatoes vertically into ¼-inch thick slices.

Place panko crumbs on a large plate. Line up sliced tomatoes, seasoned flour, egg mixture, and crumbs in that order. Line a baking tray or large platter with parchment or waxed paper to lay tomatoes on once they’ve been breaded. If a large cake rack is available it is best to place them on a rack so that air can circulate and prevent them from becoming soggy while waiting to be fried.

Working one at a time, dip the tomato slices into seasoned flour and shake off any excess flour. Place floured tomato slice into egg mixture to coat and shake off excess egg before placing the tomato slice into crumbs and coating completely with panko. Shake off excess panko crumbs and place on cake rack or parchment lined pan/platter.

When tomatoes are nearly all breaded, pour oil into a 10 or 12-inch sauté pan to a depth of about ½ inch. Heat over medium-high heat until a small amount of flour dropped into oil begins to sizzle without sinking or turning immediately dark. If it sinks, it’s not hot enough. If it turns dark immediately, it’s too hot. Using a pair of tongs, place tomato slices into hot oil and fry until golden brown on first side. Turn over and continue frying until second side is golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a cooling rack* turned upside down on a tray lined with a double layer of brown kraft paper, a paper grocery bag, or a double thickness of paper towels. Brown paper bags do a better job of wicking oil away from the food than paper towels do. The upside down rack gets the fried food near the paper to absorb grease but allows air to still circulate to prevent a soggy underside.

*To keep fried tomatoes warm without getting soggy it is necessary to place them on a cooling rack set on top of a baking tray. When the rack is covered or tomatoes are done frying (whichever occurs first), place the tray in a warm 150-200 degree oven to keep warm until serving. The rack will allow hot air to surround the fried tomatoes and keep them from absorbing moisture created by steam as it escapes.

To Assemble the Appetizer (For each plate)

Place 1 fried green tomato in the center of an appetizer plate. Place a mound of 2 tablespoons of the crab salad in the center of the fried green tomato and spoon 1 ½ tablespoons of chow-chow relish around the perimeter of the tomato or over the top of the crab salad.

Garnish with coarsely chopped cilantro leaves.

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