I have a lot of different food influences. I’ve mentioned a couple of times on here that half of my family is Brazilian, so I enjoy South American food. The other half of my mom’s side of the family is very southern, so I also love a lot of the classic southern delicacies. Country ham with red-eye gravy? Yes, please. You’ve already seen me use sawmill gravy a few times in my breakfast foods. And this one…well, I’ve grown up eating fried green tomatoes almost every summer. When done properly, they’re a perfect blend of crispy but light breading, and juicy and tart tomato inside. I’m hungry just thinking about it.
Our garden finally started producing actual decent-sized tomatoes recently. We’re just waiting for them to turn. Two nights ago, I went out to check on them, and there were three big tomatoes just speaking to me, saying “Pick me now and make fried green tomatoes with me!” And who am I to argue with a talking plant? Plus, I needed a side dish to go with my grilled burger patty, so it worked out entirely too well.
Start with three green tomatoes. Make sure they’re big enough for you to get four slices out of each one. Put those on a plate. In a small bowl, beat one egg, and put that next to the plate of tomatoes. Finally, make your breading by mixing together 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of pork rind crumbs, a teaspoon of salt, black pepper to taste, and two teaspoons of your favorite spice blend. I used a za’atar blend for a little Middle Eastern kick, but your possibilities are endless. I’d definitely consider using Old Bay if you want to keep them with a more Southern flavor, or even Cajun seasoning for a little spicier kick. Cut back the salt if the spice blend you use has salt in it. If you want to make them vegetarian, you can try omitting the pork rinds and using only parmesan, or substituting almond flour for the pork rinds. I haven’t tried this, but if you do, please leave a comment and let me know how it worked!
My mise en place.
Heat up 6 tablespoons of avocado oil in an enameled cast iron skillet. I suggest cast iron here because it keeps a more even heat for frying than a non-stick skillet, but won’t have the potential for the breading to stick as much as a stainless steel skillet would. Plus, it’s just more southern to cook in cast-iron. So get the heat up to medium high and make sure the oil is nice and shiny, then start breading. Dip a slice of the tomato into the egg, then dredge in the breading to coat both sides. Carefully place it into the oil, then repeat. Depending on the size of the tomatoes, you’ll need to do these in 2-3 batches. By the time you get your last slice in, the first one will probably be ready to flip. Check to see if the bottom breading is golden brown, and if it is, flip the slice over. You’ll probably want to fry them for about 3 minutes per side. When both sides are brown, put them on a plate that’s lined with paper towels to drain. Put them in an oven set on warm if you need to keep them warm while the next batches cook.
When they’re all done, serve them immediately. These won’t reheat well. I sprinkled mine with goat cheese, but they’d also be excellent with ranch dressing or pimiento cheese. If you want to get super fancy, try making them into a great breakfast by topping them with a poached egg and some hollandaise to make a fun version of Eggs Benedict!
Keto Fried Green Tomatoes
A classic Southern side dish with a low-carb breading and a fun spicy twist!
2teaspoonsza'atar or other spice blendsee notes above
1tspsalt
black pepperto taste
6tbspavocado oil
Instructions
Slice each tomato into 4 slices of even thickness. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Combine the parmesan, pork rind crumbs, spice blend, salt, and pepper with a fork, then place it on a plate.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a cast-iron skillet. Once the oil begins to shimmer, dip a tomato slice into the egg, then coat with the crumbs. Gently place it into the oil and repeat with the remaining slices, placing them about an inch apart. Flip each slice with tongs when the bottom begins to turn golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, then cook for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the pan and place on a plate or baking dish lined with paper towels. Place in the oven on warm if needed. Repeat in batches until all the tomatoes are fried.
Macros per serving: 211 calories, 3 grams net carbs, 10 grams protein, 17 grams fat.
Keyword keto, lchf, low carb, side dish, Southern, tomatoes, vegetables
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any embedded link to a product earns me a portion of the purchase price if you click and buy it.
A great keto substitute for potatoes is daikon radish, and in this breakfast recipe, you’ll learn how to make a veggie hash with it. Top with scrambled or poached eggs for a wonderful vegetarian keto breakfast!
There’s a restaurant where I live called Marcella’s that makes these, and even though making them can be a huge pain in the butt, I kind of had to try, because they’re so delicious. Even my kids ate a few, which is saying something seeing as both of them are intensely suspicious of anything green. If you miss potato chips, this is probably the closest thing you’re going to get to them.
I don’t have a deep fryer, but even if I did, I wouldn’t trust making them in one. These chips are very sensitive–30 seconds off either way and you’re either eating something burned or soggy. You’ll need some specialty equipment–unless your knife skills are top-notch it’ll take either a mandoline slicer or a food processor capable of slicing things paper thin, plus a candy/oil thermometer, and a wok skimmer for retrieving your chips from the oil.
This takes probably 4 cups of avocado oil, give or take. I use avocado oil because of its high smoke point and neutral flavor. Costco sells it in giant jugs. In a 2-3 quart heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 375 degrees. Keep an eye on it with the thermometer, because if your oil is too hot or too cold, it affects the finished product. While the oil is heating, slice your zucchini. 2 medium zucchini will get you enough for 3 good-sized servings.
In batches, put the zucchini into the oil one slice at a time. Try to make sure that the slices aren’t overlapping too much, but make sure that the entire surface of the oil is covered. They’ll cook down.
Keep a close eye on the chips, turning them occasionally as they cook down with a heat-resistant utensil. The wok skimmer is fine for this. Eventually they will start to turn golden brown. In this next picture, they’re about 30 seconds to a minute away from being finished. You’ll notice how the bubbling dies down when they’re close.
When they’re finished, remove them from the oil with the wok skimmer and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle them with salt and parmesan cheese. Repeat the process with the remaining zucchini, then serve.
In a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan, heat the oil to 375 degrees.
While the oil is heating, slice the zucchini into very thin rounds.
Place the zucchini into the hot oil in batches, being careful not to overlap too much.
Fry the zucchini, turning occasionally, until golden brown. This takes about five minutes, but you'll need to keep your eye on it the entire time.
Remove the zucchini and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt and parmesan cheese. Repeat until all the zucchini is fried.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to provide macros for this, as each batch might soak up a different amount of oil, and a lot of it will end up on the paper towels. If you need to know, measure the amount of oil that's left after you finish and subtract that from what you had when you started. That'll give you at least a rough estimate.
Keyword keto, low carb, side dish, snack, vegetables, zucchini
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any embedded link to a product earns me a portion of the purchase price if you click and buy it.
Recent Comments