Fried Green Tomatoes
My mother is from North Carolina, a stone's throw from Brevard and near Lake Toxaway. There is not a summer that I can remember when we didn't have fried green tomatoes. There are many variations on this recipe. You can coat the tomatoes with corn starch to hold in the juices and then dip the tomato in the flour and cornmeal. This makes for a juicy and crisp fried green tomato. My favorite.
2 large green tomatoes (1 pound), cleaned and sliced into ½-inch slices
1 teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
1 teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup fine cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups sunflower oil
1 egg
Corn Starch
Sprinkle tomato slices with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl. Place the tomatoes in and soak for 15 minutes. Once they have soaked put them in a bowl filled 1 egg that has been stirred. Dip the tomato in cornstarch in a bowl to cover it.
Combine ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, cornmeal, flour, in a large bowl. Whisk well. Dredge both sides of the tomatoes in the mixture.
Place oil in a large skillet over high heat. Heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350°F. Carefully drop tomatoes in the oil (work in batches). Cook until golden brown. Remember to let the oil reach the 350°F mark before dropping more in and don’t crowd the pan.