On the Table Recipe: Make Fried Green Tomatoes this Fall

This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.

I was a college student in Virginia the first time I tried a fried green tomato. That crunchy cornmeal coating gave way to a steaming, acidic underbelly, and I swooned as I dragged each forkful through a creamy, creole-style rémoulade. The appeal of this Southern classic was undeniable, but I’ve never been sold on its staunch association with spring. Here on the 45th parallel, where home gardeners can’t leave tomato plants outside until June, I can’t fathom plucking those very first fruits before they reach maturity. Come fall, however, when frost warnings threaten a crop that is finally finding its rhythm, that’s when my family and I delight in fried green tomatoes. On that fateful night when there is little we can do to protect our bounty from the evening weather report, the kids and I bring every tomato inside to the safety of our kitchen window sill. Some of them finish ripening but, in what has become an annual last supper of sorts, those that remain green always get dredged in cornmeal and sizzled over high heat.

For this recipe, I cement the fried green tomato’s place in autumn’s recipe box by introducing celeriac, the bulb of a celery plant and a vegetable firmly associated with fall cookery. In the mid-1900s, celery farming in Northern Michigan was so prolific that Trapp & Sons Celery Farm was apparently the largest employer in Benzie County, and the aroma of celery served as a welcome mat for summer resorters. “[When we reached] Beulah-Benzonia, and the celery crops which smelled so delicious … we knew we were almost there,” penned Barbara Abbott Trublood, a summer resident of East Leland, in a historical essay about her annual journey north. For this dish, we julienne celeriac to make céleri rémoulade, a cousin of the French classic that is more commonly served with fried green tomatoes. Saying goodbye to the summer growing season is one of the most painful gardening chores I know—but hold tight to this recipe that bridges summer and fall, and it might just soften the blow.

Related Read: On The Table: Spicy Shakshuka to Celebrate Harvest Season

Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes with Céleri Rémoulade

Serves 4 as an appetizer or salad course

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• juice from 1 lemon, about 3 Tablespoons
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon creole seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large celery root bulb, about 2 pounds
• 2 large green tomatoes, about 1 pound
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup ground cornmeal
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup avocado oil
• torn parsley leaves for garnish

Preparation

1. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, cream, creole seasoning and salt to a large glass bowl, stirring to combine.
2. With a sharp knife, peel the celery root bulb and cut it into quarters. Use a mandolin, coarse grater or patient knife skills to julienne it into even matchsticks. Fold the strands of celery root into the mayonnaise mixture as you work to prevent them from turning brown. Set the céleri rémoulade aside.
3. Slice tomatoes into generous rounds that are at least ¼-inch thick, creating about 8 slices from each tomato. Onto four rimmed plates, separately place eggs, flour, buttermilk and cornmeal.
4. Dredge both sides of each tomato slice into the egg, flour, buttermilk and cornmeal—in that order. Lay the dredged slices flat onto a platter as you go. Shake the plates containing the egg, flour, buttermilk and cornmeal from time to time as you work, to redistribute the ingredients and fully coat all 16 slices. Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
5. Pour avocado oil into a deep skillet, set over high heat and allow the oil to get hot enough that a pinch of flour sizzles. Working in batches, fry the tomatoes, cooking each side until golden brown, about a minute per side. Line a plate with paper towels and place fried tomatoes on the plate, seasoning with salt and pepper a second time.
6. Working quickly while the tomatoes are still warm, place a finished slice onto each salad plate and top with a generous forkful of céleri rémoulade. Top the rémoulade with another slice and repeat with more rémoulade until all of the tomato slices are used. Reserve any extra rémoulade for another use, top each plate with parsley to garnish and serve. –S.B.

Related Read: Michigan Pasty Recipe Featuring Fall’s Favorite Root Vegetables

Stacey Brugeman is a 20-year food and beverage journalist. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Eater and on Instagram @staceybrugeman.

Dave Weidner is an editorial photographer and videographer based in Northern Michigan. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook @dzwphoto.

Sarah Peschel, @22speschel, is a stylist and photographer with an appreciation for all things local agriculture, food and drink.