Fried Green Tomato Salad

Oh, man. If you’ve never had fried green tomatoes before, you haven’t lived yet. I know, such a dramatic statement! But seriously, they are just too good. My dad is an avid gardener, assisted by my mom of course.

So this time of year he’s got all sorts of delicious things growing in his backyard. I had a hankering for fried green tomatoes, so I emailed him to see if he still had any left (I was afraid they may have all turned red by now).

He texted me that day, and after I got off work, I found myself walking down the rows of his tomato plants with my mom, filling our grocery store plastic bags full of green tomatoes, red tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and a few cucumbers. I mean, I was already there after all. 

I might be giving it away from this story that I’m not much of a phone talker. Why would I email my dad and he text me back? I can’t say I have an easy answer for this. I just don’t like talking on the phone all that much—random fact about me.

Related: Classic Pea Salad with Bacon, Deviled Eggs, Broccoli Salad, Classic Potato Salad, Ambrosia Salad, Tuna Salad, Macaroni Salad, Creamy Pasta Salad.

This is very similar to a caprese salad in that it features tomatoes and fresh mozzarella as the main event. Yum! But instead of a balsamic reduction, we’re gonna use some pesto…just makes this salad feel all the more fresh and summer-appropriate. 

As with any deep frying event, this takes a little work, but is SO worth it. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing that deep frying takes a little more effort otherwise I would be tempted to cook this way too often. 🙂

Fried Green Tomato Salad, serves 2 as a meal or 3-4 as a starter. 

2-3 green tomatoes (or 4 if yours are on the small side)
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
oil for frying, you’ll need enough to fill your pan so the tomatoes can be fully submerged
pesto (store bought, or you can make your own)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh mozzarella (I like the kind that is sold in a large ball so I can slice it thick!)
lettuce or spinach for the salad

Slice up the green tomatoes so they are about 1/4 inch thick, discarding the tops. Set up your breading station by setting out three bowls or plates with a lip.

You need one bowl for the flour, one for the eggs (whisk them together), and one for the bread crumbs. Now dip the tomatoes so they get fully covered in each bowl in this order: flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Set on a plate.

Once you have them all breaded, pop them in the freezer for 6-10 minutes. You can prep your salad greens, make your pesto, and heat up your oil during this time.

In a heavy duty pot or dutch oven, heat the oil until it’s around 350°F. I like to use a candy thermometer when frying, but it’s not completely necessary. Have a plate lined with paper towels ready at the side.

Once the oil is hot, use kitchen tongs to add 2-3 breaded tomato slices at a time to the pot (depending on how big your pot is). Cook for 20-30 seconds on each side. Remove to your paper towels once they look golden brown.

If your pesto is super thick, use 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to thin it until it can be easily drizzled or poured over your salad. 

On a bed of lettuce or spinach, layer the fried green tomatoes with the sliced mozzarella and top with your pesto dressing. I like to enjoy this while the tomatoes are still warm. Enjoy! xo. Emma

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Yield 4

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2-3 green tomatoes (or 4 if yours are on the small side)
• ▢ ¼ cup flour
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ ½ cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
• ▢ oil for frying (you’ll need enough to fill your pan so the tomatoes can be fully submerged)
• ▢ pesto (store bought, or you can make your own)
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ fresh mozzarella (I like the kind that is sold in a large ball so I can slice it thick!)
• ▢ lettuce or spinach for the salad

Instructions

• Slice up the green tomatoes so they are about 1/4 inch thick, discarding the tops. Set up your breading station by setting out three bowls or plates with a lip. You need one bowl for the flour, one for the eggs (whisk them together), and one for the bread crumbs.

  Now dip the tomatoes so they get fully covered in each bowl in this order: flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Set on a plate. Once you have them all breaded, pop them in the freezer for 6-10 minutes. You can prep your salad greens, make your pesto, and heat up your oil during this time.
• In a heavy duty pot or dutch oven, heat the oil until it's around 350°F. I like to use a candy thermometer when frying, but it's not completely necessary.

  Have a plate lined with paper towels ready at the side. Once the oil is hot, use kitchen tongs to add 2-3 breaded tomato slices at a time to the pot (depending on how big your pot is).

  Cook for 20-30 seconds on each side. Remove to your paper towels once they look golden brown.

Notes

If your pesto is super thick, use 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to thin it until it can be easily drizzled or poured over your salad. On a bed of lettuce or spinach, layer the fried green tomatoes with the sliced mozzarella and top with your pesto dressing. I like to enjoy this while the tomatoes are still warm.