This time of year, hard, sweet, green tomatoes are available at the market. I’ve blogged them before, so I usually don’t post the recipe anymore. This time we experimented with a new breading and a new sauce.
Here’s everything you need to make the Cajun Rémoulade. It’s really a knock-off rémoulade recipe made with mayonnaise instead of oil and eggs, but it was pretty good with the tomatoes.
Fried Green Tomatoes With Cajun Rémoulade
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoons catsup
- 1 tablespoon creole mustard or cajun mustard or deli style mustard
- 1½ teaspoons fresh parsley (chopped )
- 1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper (1 tsp for mild)
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
I basically halved this recipe and added a little sour cream. Just mix everything together in a bowl:
When I fry my tomatoes, I usually make the crust out of equal parts corn meal and bread crumbs with a little salt and spices mixed in. My wife recently read somewhere that you can use instant mashed potato powder as a dredge ingredient to add texture and flavor to the crust. I thought I’d give it a try. Here’s everything you need to coat the green tomatoes:
From left to right, we have flour to coat the tomato slices, eggs, cream and a little Dijon mustard to make the egg wash, and the cornmeal, potato and spice mixture for the crust. Most people add their spices to the flour, but I like to add it to my crust mixture. That’s what your tongue touches when you eat it. I usually sprinkle in some salt, cayenne and paprika.
Slice the tomatoes at least 1/3 inch thick, if not larger. Discard the top and bottom slices; they won’t hold any crust. Just put them in a plastic bag and keep them for a later recipe.
Heat some canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. While the oil is warming, start making your tomatoes. Coat both sides with flour and shake off the excess. Next, dip both sides of the tomato slice in the egg wash and shake off the excess. Finally, coat both sides in the crust mixture and place them in a tray next to the saucepan. This can be a little messy, so you want to set up an assembly line. It’s times like this when my movable island comes in really handy.
To see if the oil is hot enough, stand the wooden spoon handle upright in the pan. If the oil bubbles like crazy around it, it’s good to go. Carefully slide the tomatoes down the side of the pan and into the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will drop too much and the tomatoes will come out soggy.
They cook quickly, so don’t walk away. Use two wooden spoons to flip them. You’ll get the timing right after a batch or two. Place them on some paper towels to cool. Remember, people will only see the tops of the tomatoes, so only one side needs to be really pretty.
These came out pretty good overall, but the crust was a little thin for my taste. The instant mashed potato mixture was a nice touch. Next time I’ll add it to the flour mixture for flavor and go back to my breadcrumb and cornmeal crust for added crunch. The cajun rémoulade was okay. It tasted good with the tomatoes, but I think I’m always expecting remoulades to taste like the soul-changing version they make at the Arizona Biltmore. This one was grainy and mayonaisey by comparison. I want a smoother, more peppery flavor and a reddish-orange color. Next time I’m going to make an aioli with roasted garlic and pureed peppadews. I think that’ll add the smoky, spicy kick I’m looking for.
Tags: Cajun, Corn Meal, Flour, Green Tomatoes, Rémoulade, Spicy
