Fried Green Tomato BLTs

These are my ‘famous’ fried green tomato BLTs!

Oven-fried green tomatoes are tucked between sourdough bread with crispy bacon, lettuce, red tomato and a slather of mayonnaise.

It’s the best ever “fried” green tomato BLT!

How to make a fried green tomato BLT

Featured Ingredients

For the “fried” green tomatoes:

• Green tomatoes: AKA unripe tomatoes. Grab a few big ones at the farmer’s market or out of your garden.
  • They’re going to be sliced into thick rounds and oven fried. Yum!
• Flour: This is the first dip in the breading process.
  • It’s going to allow for the breading to actually stick to the tomatoes instead of falling off.
• Eggs and milk: This is like the glue in the breading process (but in a good way).
• Breadcrumbs: I use Panko breadcrumbs as the final dip for the tomatoes because they’re light and crispy.
• Seasonings: A mixture of salt, black pepper and cayenne will get mixed into each step of the breading process for ultimate flavor – flour, eggs and milk and breadcrumbs.

For the BLTs:

• Bacon: Grab a package of your favorite bacon – I like uncured!
  • Get the strips nice a crispy in a skillet or the oven and thene let the drain and get crispy on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Sourdough bread: Be sure it’s thick-cut, homemade and toasted!
• Mayo: And lots of it! The real stuff.
• Lettuce: Big pieces of crisp, bright green lettuce.
• Red tomatoes: Yes I use both fried green tomatoes AND fresh, juicy red tomatoes on this sandwich. It’s a vibe.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Coat a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, beat the eggs until homogenous.
4. Place the bread crumbs and cornmeal in a third shallow bowl.
5. Line the bowls of next to each other to create a breading station.
6. Season each bowl with the remaining salt and black pepper and a pinch of cayenne and stir each (separately) to combine.
7. Dip the green tomatoes slices in the flour, then the egg, then the panko cornmeal mixture.
8. Line each breaded tomato on the prepared baking rack, 1 inch apart. Coat the top of the tomatoes with cooking spray.
9. Bake 10 minutes, then flip each tomato. Coat the top side with the cooking spray and bake an 10 additional minutes.
10. Optional: Turn the oven to a low broil and cook 2 more minutes, until browned and crispy. Flip again and broil the other side for 2 minutes, until browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool.
11. In the meantime, cook bacon in a skillet until crispy. Place the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate and dab to rid of the excess grease.
12. Toast the sourdough bread, then spread one side of each piece with mayonnaise.
13. Arrange the lettuce on top of four of the pieces, then top with the fried green tomatoes, bacon, and red tomato slices.
14. Top each with the other slice of bread to make 4 sandwiches.

Recipe Substitutions and Alterations

• For the green tomatoes: You can also bread and pan-fry them in a few inches of neutral oil (like avocado).
  • Simply bring the oil to a ripply medium-high and fry on each side for a few minutes or until they’re browned and crispy.
  • Let them cool on a paper towel-lined plate.
• For the bread: You can use whatever your favorite bread is, just make sure it’s thick-cut and homemade.
• For the lettuce: Use your favorite crisp lettuce, any kind.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make these gluten free: Use gluten free bread, all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs.
  • Be sure all packaged ingreidents are gluten free.
• To make these dairy free: There is no dairy in this recipe.
• To make these vegetarian: Skip the bacon.
• To make these vegan: Skip the bacon and use vegan mayo.
• To make these nut free: This recipe does not contain nuts.
  • Be sure all packaged ingredients are nut free.
• To make these egg free: Try with an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill (although I haven’t tested this).
• To make these lower in sodium: Use lower sodium bacon.
  • Omit or reduce the amount of salt you add to the breading ingredients.
• To make these lower in calories and fat: Use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon.
  • Use low fat mayonnaise.

Tomato recipes to make this summer:

• Heirloom Tomato Pizza
• Tomato Jalapeno Salsa
• Creamy Tomato Soup with Garlic Bread Croutons
• Blackened Cod Tacos with Pico de Gallo
• Pesto Caprese Pasta Salad

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