Fried Green Tomatoes Are Delicious, But We Know How To Make Them Better

Fall is a perfect time of year for fried green tomatoes. That's the end of peak harvest season for the indigenous berry plant. So get your hands on as many unripe tomatoes as you can and listen up.

Everyone knows fried green tomatoes are a staple of Southern cuisine. The appetizer blends well with buttermilk ranch, stands alone as a formidable treat on its own, and can make any BLT sandwich sing like the Five Heartbeats. But letting your green tomatoes soak in dill pickle juice before you put them on the fryer is a match made in culinary paradise that will change your life. The best part of this enhancement is it doesn't add too much more fuss to the traditional recipe for fried green tomatoes. Just an extra step or two, but you get exponentially more flavor in return.

Fried green tomatoes are a classic steeped in simplicity so don't over-complicate things trying to spruce up a dish that first became a staple in the Midwest and northeastern states in the 19th century. It wasn't until Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel was adapted into the iconic, Oscar-nominated film four years later that fried green tomatoes saw a new surge of popularity down south. But make no mistake about it, the added touch of dill only serves to amplify a dish that has been around for quite some time.

Start with four large green tomatoes and cut them crosswise into slices roughly 1/2 inch thick. Marinate those slices in dill pickle juice for 30 minutes to an hour. It can be a homemade brine if you're feeling spry, but don't be too proud to dig out that old jar of pickles from the back of the fridge. And just that simply, the flavor boost is activated.

Take the slices out of the brine, blot between two sheets of paper towels for five minutes or so, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them afterward. For your seasoning batter, pour a cup apiece of cornmeal and panko bread crumbs into a shallow bowl and mix with a dash of salt and pepper and a pinch of a Cajun seasoning like Old Bay or cayenne pepper. Whisk an egg or two in a separate bowl and preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Dip the dried tomato slices into the beaten egg mix first, then press them into the breadcrumb seasoning. Place the coated slices on a rack and cook them for 10 minutes. If you opt for a pan-fried approach instead, use a skillet greased with about a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and fry the slices for a couple of minutes on each side over medium-high heat.

Let them cool down and voilà! Take a bite of your crunchy, flavor-packed pickled fried green tomatoes. This recipe should make enough to feed you and five of your friends. Find something to dip your slices in, such as basil mayo or buttermilk ranch dressing, and enjoy.