Fried Green Tomatoes is a great movie and a tasty southern treat. Lucky for me, I received several green tomatoes in my work share this past week and I couldn’t wait to fry those babies up. Maybe because I was watching Aaron Sanchez’s Taco Trip on Netflix or maybe because I’m a taco slut, I decided to lighten up this batch of fried green tomatoes and wrap them up in a corn tortilla. Per the suggestion of Nancy, I fried them in coconut oil too which added the slightest of a sweet note to the tangy tomatoes. After devouring her second taco, Amy admitted she had been skeptical when I first told her we were having fried green tomato tacos for dinner but the crisp fried tomatoes, the warm corn tortilla, and the bright, beautiful pico de gallo won her over. She even requested a second round for brunch Saturday morning and I must agree with her, they were pretty damn awesome. It was a perfectly refreshing taco that perfectly wrapped up a hot and humid week.

Ingredients: 

3 – 4 med sized green tomatoes, sliced 1/4″ thick

1 teaspoon malt vinegar

1 teaspoon Tabasco

1 cup King Arthur Wheat Flour

1 free range egg

1 cup cashew milk

1 cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour

1 cup Masa Flour

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon sweet onion, minced

1 teaspoon Chipotle chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

about 1/4 cup coconut oil

Garnish: Sour Cream, Silver Slicer Cucumbers, Roasted Corn and Basil Pico de Gallo, Lime Wedge

Method: 

In a large mixing bowl toss the sliced tomatoes with the vinegar, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a med mixing bowl whisk together the egg, milk, minced onion and garlic. Set aside. In another med mixing bowl stir together the wheat flour and remaining seasonings. In a third mixing bowl, stir together the all purpose flour, Masa flour, and salt and pepper. Cover a baking sheet with wax paper, set aside. Now set up an assembly for breading the green tomatoes: tomatoes, wheat flour, egg wash, and finally the Masa flour mix. Grab a tomato, lightly coat it in the seasoned wheat flour, next dip it into the egg wash allowing excess to drip off, and then coat it in the masa flour mix. Set the coated tomato on the baking sheet and continue until all tomatoes are breaded. I just use my hands to coat the tomatoes but you can also use a pair of tongs. Heat the coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet over med high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, fry the green tomatoes in batches about five minutes per side or until golden brown. Set the fried tomatoes aside on a paper towel lined platter and sprinkle a little kosher salt on each batch as they come out of the oil. Serve the fried green tomatoes with corn tortillas and pico de gallo.

Roasted Corn and Basil Pico de Gallo

1 cup Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn

2 tomatoes, diced

1 Jalapeno, diced (if you have a heat intolerance remove the seeds and membrane)

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon sweet onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 light drizzle of EVOO

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 fresh lime

1/4 fresh lemon

Method: 

Mix all ingredients, except the lemon and lime, together in medium plastic or glass container. Squeeze the lemon and lime over the pico, stir well, and adjust seasoning as needed. Cover and chill in the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.