This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post raves about Fried Green Tomatillos!
Do you remember the film called Fried Green Tomatoes? This film was based on a book by Fannie Flag called Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The setting was Whistle Stop, Alabama, and from here comes our Alabama inspired recipe…delicious fried green tomatillos!!
Tomatillos?!?! I tried so hard to find green tomatoes at my local grocery stores but had no luck, so I figured tomatillos, which are green and look like a tomato, might be a good substitute for green tomatoes! Tomatillos are called “tomate verde” in Mexico. This means green tomato, so that’s good enough for me! Alabama is known for fried green tomatoes, and you can find it at most restaurants and diners in Alabama. Hence we will give all credit to Alabama for inspiring this delicious dish.
If you are ever in the Birmingham, Alabama area, it would be fun to stop at the Irondale Cafe in Irondale, Alabama. The Irondale Cafe (which opened as a hot dog stand in 1928) was the inspiration for Fannie Flag’s book, and was the original Whistle Stop Cafe. Dining at the Irondale is definitely on my list of things to do if I ever visit the Birmingham area.
To conclude, there’s nothing like down-home Southern cooking! I hope you will find that the Mexican twist on this dish is just as good. 🙂
Some Other Dishes You May Enjoy!
Utah Inspired Potato Tots – Tatchos
Alabama Inspired Fried Green Tomatillos
Ingredients
- 3-4 green tomatillos very firm and sliced thickly
- 2 eggs beaten lightly
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1/2 ts salt
- 1/2 ts pepper
- 1/2 ts cayenne
- 1/2 ts garlic powder
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil
Garlic Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the garlic mayo by combining all ingredients and refrigerating until ready to use.
- Slice the tomatillos thickly and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Set up 3 different containers. One will contain the flour and spices, one the egg and milk, and the other the corn meal.
- Add salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder to the flour and mix. Lightly beat the eggs with the 2 tablespoons milk. Dredge the tomatillos in the flour mixture. Dip the tomatillo slices into the beaten eggs. Let the excess egg run off the tomatillo. Dredge the tomatillo in the corn meal.
- Get the vegetable oil nice and hot in a heavy skillet. Fry for 2-3 minutes each side until nice and brown, and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
It was good!
The only change I made was
instead of flour, egg, and cornmeal,
i did
flour, egg, flour, egg, and then cornmeal.
It helped to battle the strong tomatillo flavor.
Hi! Thanks for commenting and I’m so happy that you liked it! I love the change you made..I’ll give that a go next time! Take care and stay well! Grace
I took the above posters suggestion and double dipped with the flour and egg before hitting the cornmeal. I also upped the spices in the flour mix, probably doubling what was called for and also adding some smoked paprika. Skip the garlic mayo in favor of ranch dressing, personal preference. Not bad, but the flavor of the tomatillos is strong, and although I love salsa verde, I prefer plain fried green tomatoes.
Hi there! Thanks so much for your comments and for info on the adjustments you made for your dish! I originally tried to find green tomatoes but when I couldn’t I decided on using tomatillos for this recipe. I hope one day soon I can try this with green tomatoes. 🙂 Thanks again for taking the time to comment and for trying out this recipe. Very Happy New Year to you and your family! Grace