Cajun Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Remoulade

Why This Cajun Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Remoulade Works

During frying, the tomato slices stay firm inside while the outside turns crisp. Green tomatoes are still hard and a little sour, so they don’t fall apart in the hot oil the way ripe tomatoes would. The salt pulls a bit of moisture to the surface, and the flour sticks to that. Then the egg and buttermilk grab onto the flour, and the cornmeal sticks to that sticky layer. By the time they hit the pan, each slice has a thick, rough coating that browns well.

As the slices cook, the cornmeal crust hardens and keeps the heat from hitting the tomato too fast. The inside warms up and softens just a little, but it doesn’t go mushy. The crust also keeps the juices from running out into the oil, so the tomato stays juicy. In the bowl, the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and hot sauce blend into a smooth, thick sauce, and the chopped pickles and capers stay in tiny bits, so the remoulade clings to the crunchy coating instead of sliding off.

Mistakes To Avoid

Starting with tomatoes that aren’t really green and firm leads to slices that collapse in the pan. As they soften, the coating slides off and the centers turn mushy instead of staying slightly crisp and juicy.

Letting the oil get too cool before frying makes the breading soak up fat instead of sealing quickly. The tomatoes then come out greasy and heavy, with a soft, oily crust instead of a light, crunchy one.

When the oil is too hot, the cornmeal coating browns fast while the tomato inside barely warms through. The outside looks done, but the slices stay hard and undercooked in the middle.

Skipping the flour layer or not shaking off extra wet batter causes the coating to slip. The egg and cornmeal don’t grab onto the tomato, so bald spots form and the crust falls off in the oil.

Overloading the pan with too many slices at once drops the oil temperature sharply. The tomatoes steam instead of fry, so the crust turns pale and soft instead of crisp.