Fried Green Tomatoes & Bacon Jam ~ The Southern Scoop’s Featured Recipe.
Down in the South, we love fried green tomatoes. No, we’re not talking about the 1991 classic movie starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy. We’re talking about actual fried green tomatoes! We believe everyone should try this Southern classic at least once in their lifetime, and especially with some bacon jam (but more on that later). Whether you’re preparing these for an appetizer or party snack, our fried green tomatoes are sure to wow all your friends at the next get-together. They’re crispy on the outside and oh-so tender from the very first bite. The trick to making these truly memorable is to skip the sugar most fried green tomato recipes call for, and instead add a little cayenne, chili powder, and flaky sea salt. Thank us later!
As delicious as the fried green tomatoes are by themselves, they’re even better with something to spread on them. The typical route is to whip up a remoulade, but we don’t do typical with our Southern Scoop recipes! When we tried the bacon jam on the fried green tomatoes at The Craft Bar in Destin, Florida, we knew we had to try and recreate this ourselves. The result was something sweet, savory, smoky, and just plan delicious. Just when you thought you had heard all of the wonderful things you can do with bacon! Bacon jam would even make a great holiday present for your friends who are bacon aficionados. Just scoop some in a little jar, tie it off with a bow, and spread the cheer.
What You’ll Need:
Fried Green Tomatoes (serves 8)
| 3 medium green tomatoes | 1 large egg | 1/2 cup buttermilk |
| 1/2 cup all-purpose flour | 1/2 cup cornmeal | 1 teaspoon salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper | A pinch of ground cayenne pepper and chili powder | Avocado oil (or other high-heat oil for frying) |
Bacon Jam (makes 32 servings)
| 3 lbs bacon (any flavor will do) | 4 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced | 8 cloves of garlic, smashed |
| 1 cup apple cider vinegar | 1 cup packed light brown sugar | 1/2 cup dark brown maple syrup |
| 1 1/2 cups strong black coffee | 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper | 1 tsp dried thyme |
Preparation:
Fried Green Tomatoes:
- Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Set aside.
- Whisk egg and buttermilk together in a large shallow bowl.
- Scoop 1/4 cup of flour onto a medium plate. On another medium plate, add the rest of the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, cayenne, and chili powder. Thoroughly combine with a fork.
- Cover a tomato slice in plain flour and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg mixture, then cover in the cornmeal mixture and transfer to a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining tomato slices.
- Line a large plate with paper towels and set aside. In a cast iron skillet, heat 1/4-inch of high heat oil to 375°. Carefully place tomatoes into hot oil and took 1 1/2-2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. IMPORTANT – the oil needs to be hot in order to keep the tomatoes from absorbing it! Be sure to reheat between batches, and keep the tomatoes in a single layer so they don’t get soggy.
Bacon Jam:
- Cut bacon slices into 1-inch strips. Cook bacon over medium high heat in a Dutch oven until browned, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- With the Dutch oven over medium high heat, add onions and garlic. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Cook for eight minutes, or until onions are mostly translucent. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and reduce heat to low.
- Bring to a hard boil for two minutes. Stir the browned bacon into the onions and liquid.
- Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup of water if the mixture seems dry. When the onions are soft and the liquid is thick, remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let stand for five minutes.
- Transfer the contents to a food processor and pulse until the bacon jam is a spreadable consistency. Transfer to jars or containers with a tight-fitting lid.
Enjoy!
We hope you love the fried green tomatoes and bacon jam as much as we do. If you’ve made and enjoyed any of our other Southern Scoop recipes, then we’d love to see how you made them! Tag us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and use our hashtag #MySweetSouthern. Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen our other recipes make sure you check the Gulf Coast Blog. Thanks for being part of the Southern family, and we’ll see you next month with another delicious recipe!
