My first encounter with fried green tomatoes wasn’t all that long ago. It was back in 2013 at a gorgeous little restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, called The Olde Pink House. Teamed with sweet corn cream, braised red cabbage and crispy bits of bacon, I scratched my head as to why this fried unripe fruit is so popular.

I gave them another go when we were in Charleston, South Carolina, at another fab little place called Cru Café. Once again they were teamed with other bits like smoked pork belly, feta and fig syrup. A vast improvement thanks to the savoury and sweet additions. I couldn’t help but think the tomatoes rely on other things to make them more interesting.

The slight sourness from fried green tomatoes complements a raft of edibles, so I can understand why they’re rarely served on their own.

My most recent encounter with these little critters was on local terra firma – in the north of the state when I paid a visit to Brookfarm.

As part of an intimate lunch with the Brook family, son Eddie knocked up a great little fried green tomato dish featuring their homegrown macadamia nuts.

Rather than crumb the tomato slices, Eddie dunked them into a batter using local brew. The crowning glory came from an Asian-flavoured salsa made using the chopped macadamias with a little chilli, balsamic and honey. Altogether a damn tasty couple of mouthfuls – crunchy, juicy, sweet and spicy.

Thanks to my vegetable garden producing a bit of a bumper crop of tomato varieties, I’ve got a decent selection of unripe tomatoes up on the vines. Saves trying to find green tomatoes at the markets or shops, which can be a tad challenging.

I’ve taken Eddies recipe and used two different types of honey. One batch with regular honey, and the other with truffle honey.

Which did I prefer? Well, I’m kind of torn. They both work.

Print Recipe

Fried green tomatoes with macadamia salsa

A dish inspired by the famous fried green tomatoes at Brookfarm.

Course

Starters

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 1½ cups self raising flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 330 ml amber ale chilled
• 4 green tomatoes
• 125 g roasted macadamias coarsely chopped
• 1 cup Coriander leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp truffle honey
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 12 cm red chilli seeded & finely chopped
• 150 ml macadamia oil

Course Starters Servings servings Ingredients 1½ cups self raising flour ½ tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper 330 ml amber ale chilled 4 green tomatoes 125 g roasted macadamias coarsely chopped 1 cup Coriander leaves coarsely chopped 1 tbsp truffle honey 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 12 cm red chilli seeded & finely chopped 150 ml macadamia oil

Instructions

1. Place the flour, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl. Pour in the ale and stir until there are no lumps. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Slice the tomatoes about 7 mm thick and lay them on paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
3. Combine the chopped macadamias, honey, coriander and chilli, mixing well. Set aside.
4. Heat the macadamia oil in a shallow pan over medium flame. Drop a small about of the batter into the oil to test the heat, making sure that it doesn't brown too quickly.
5. Dip the slices of tomato into the batter and coat well on both sides. Carefully drop the slices into the hot oil and cook until golden brown on one side. Carefully flip the slices over and cook the other side until golden brown. Gently remove the tomatoes from the oil and drain on paper towels.
6. To serve, lay the fried tomatoes on a platter or board and top with a little of the macadamia salsa. Serve immediately.

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