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.
Course | Starters |
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