Oooey, gooey mozzarella sandwiched between two crispy, crunchy fried green tomatoes.
Do you have a book AND a movie that you love? It’s often hard to get one that is as good as the other. In my experience, the book is usually the better of the two. That, however, is not the case with the Fried Green Tomatoes movie. It is, even 26 years later, one of my favorite movies OF ALL TIME.
I have watched the movie so many times that I can recite it line by line. The book is great too but man, the movie. I have been obsessed with fried green tomatoes ever since Idgie made them for Ruth before their kitchen food fight.
Tips for making fried green tomatoes:
- Green tomatoes and tomatillos are NOT the same thing. They are both members of the nightshade family. But the tomatillo isn’t a tomato. It is the fruit of a different plant.
- Although there are various kinds of green heirloom tomatoes, the best tomatoes for making Fried Green Tomatoes are firm, unripened tomatoes. I prefer unripened Beefsteak Tomatoes.
- The tomatoes are traditionally coated with cornmeal or a wet better. Other crust options include panko bread crumbs, like this recipe.
I have made them several different ways over the years. I have made Fried Green Tomatoes with Bacon Ranch Dip, a BLT and even a burger. And now I am making these Fried Green Tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella. It is every bit as heavenly as it sounds.
To get these Fried Green Tomatoes with mozzarella perfectly crisp, while keeping the mozzarella nice and melted, I cooked the tomatoes individually first. Next, I added a slice of mozzarella between two and cooked them until the mozzarella was melted. and The tartness and crunch of the green tomatoes paired perfectly with the creamy saltiness of the mozzarella.
I know that this isn’t the way that Idgie and Ruth may have had them at the Cafe, but I’d like to think that they would enjoy it just the same!
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 medium green tomatoes cut into 1/4 inch slices (you should have 8 tomato slices)
- fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 4 1/4 slices of mozzarella
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Season both sides of the sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper .
- Place flour in one bowl. In another bowl beat eggs. In a third bowl combine panko and plain bread crumbs.
- Dip sliced tomatoes into flour, then the eggs, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture until coated. Shake off excess
- Pour enough oil in a frying pan to coat the bottom. Heat over medium heat. Sprinkle a couple of bread crumbs into the oil, if it sizzles it's ready. Fry the tomatoes until light golden brown on each side. About 2 minutes per side.
- Place 1 slice of mozzarella on top of 4 of the tomatoes. Place remaining 4 tomatoes on top. Gently press down, cook about 2 more minutes per-side or until tomatoes are golden brown and mozzarella is melted.
- Serve hot.
Will have to try this! What a great idea ! Sounds delicious!
[…] Source: Life’s Ambrosia […]
[…] …. hmmm, wonder where my chief culinary consultant and gardener is hiding them??? Thank you Des at Life’s Ambrosia for sharing yet another fabulous green tomato […]
What a great idea! Fried Green tomatoes have been on my to make list for much to long. Now that I’ve seen this I’ll have to jump on it!
I like fried green tomatoes, this is a good one
wow.. it looks very delicious for a sunday breakfast with the family..
[…] […]
those sound really good
[…] rkazda is making our mouths water with this fried green tomatoes and mozarella sandwich. The detail’s are up at Life’s Ambrosia. […]
Nelle: Yay! I am glad to hear that you had great results with these. The risotto and egg sound like the perfect accompaniments.
Gorgeous dish. Our one bumper crop this year in our garden were tomatoes so we had plenty of the sweet greens to try this out on. Absolutely spectacular results! Great simple recipe. We served up risotto and a sunny side up egg to go with them. Delish!
The Baking Dentist: You’re welcome! I am so glad to hear that you liked them :)
These looked SO good! And I had all the ingredients, so I just tried them. But they looked not even as half as beautiful as yours. The taste did just hit the spot though. Thank you!
[…] searching for the recipe at Tastespotting, I came across this recipe by Des of Life’s Ambrosia which involved Mozzarella! Amazingly enough, I had all the […]
I know my fried green tomatoes… and these look yummylicious!
I found you on photograzing. I’ll be back again (if I can find my way)
I have made a variation of this at home by adding bacon and making a panini sandwich…it is awesome you should try it.
I like the sound of adding mozzarella to fried green tomatoes!
I love fried green tomatoes but never thought to make like this – they look delicious !!
I still have plenty of green tomotoes in my garden- great idea to use them up!
Wow this looks too good to be true! Great idea with mozzarella, you always find a creative way to use it!
I bought green tomatoes with the sole purpose to fry them, but this idea takes that to a whole new level!! Brilliant!!!
Im glad it worked out for you this time, it looks amazing!!!! I fell in love with friend green tomatoes when I moved to the south but never before have I seen them made or served this way.. I like your way better! Cant wait to try! :) yum!
Looks wonderful! What a great texture!
By the way, I’ll be retweeting this on Sunday (@huggingthecoast on Twitter) as part of a special Labor Day Weekend Twitter Marathon.
Oh yes Julie you’re right! It is the standard procedure. Thank you for catching that and thank you for the compliments on the blog :)
I think you left off the flour step … do you dip in flour, then egg then crumbs (standard procedure)? Nonetheless, they look so good, as do all of your recipes. I am so glad I found your blog!
Wow. That looks really good!
Oh this is gorgeous and makes me so hungry. I love fried green tomatoes but your panko coating makes it look so light and crunchy. And I love that gooey mozzarella. Wow! I have to try this!
Oh wow, those look fabulous! I *still* haven’t tried making these. Maybe at the end of the summer–we always have some green ones left over.
Mouthwatering photo! It says crunchy and creamy at the same time.