Bake Your Fried Green Tomatoes For A Big Batch Of Deliciousness

Green tomatoes were made for frying. Unlike their ripe and ruby-colored counterparts, green tomatoes have a firmer texture and a tartly herbaceous profile that lends itself perfectly to frying. Yet, while the cooking method does produce a satisfying contrast of slightly softened tomato and crackingly crisp coating, frying isn't the only way to reach this level of gustatory bliss. The fact of the matter is that baking green tomatoes can yield equally irresistible, if not tastier, results.

In comparison to frying, baking is a relatively low-effort and hands-off technique, as uniformly sliced tomatoes can simply be popped into the oven (post-breading) without the need for constant flipping and turning. Plus, baking also saves you from dealing with messy and dangerous oil splatters associated with frying. Most impressively, however, baking more effectively showcases the rich complexity of green tomatoes. Don't get us wrong, both frying and baking prompt browning via the Maillard reaction. But the latter involves dry heat as opposed to moist heat, which impacts flavor in a big way. The question is, how?

Baking tomatoes basically allows their natural flavors to shine as opposed to frying, which saturates the fruit in fat and overpowers its deeply nuanced profile. Additionally, as tomatoes caramelize and flavors become concentrated during baking, the cornmeal-coated rounds develop more pronounced notes of sweetness as well as traces of nuttiness and toastiness that render baked green tomatoes even more mouthwatering than their fried equivalents.

Similar to frying, baking green tomatoes requires a process of dipping, dunking, and dredging to ensure the crunchiest results. Using our recipe for fried green tomatoes as a blueprint, start by dipping 1/4-inch tomato slices into seasoned flour before dunking them into a medley of eggs and buttermilk and coating with breadcrumbs and cornmeal. For extra texture, you can also add anything from fried onions to shredded parmesan or poppy seeds into the breadcrumb mixture.

To achieve the crunchiest bite, always layer tomatoes onto a lined sheet pan without overlapping, as this will prevent the risk of sogginess. We also suggest misting the slices with cooking spray to help them crisp up and brown more evenly, and turning the tomatoes halfway through cooking is a must. Generally, tomatoes will need about 10 to 15 minutes on either side when baked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit before they rival that of fried tomatoes. Once golden, the baked tomatoes can be pulled from the oven and placed on a cooling rack (plates trap moisture) to preserve their crispiness. 

Baked green tomatoes can be served much like fried tomatoes, either on their own or with a velvety remoulade. They also fare stunningly when stacked into sandwiches, layered into salads, or wedged into casseroles. Regardless of how you enjoy them, the crunchy-yet-jammy tomatoes are sure to delight your senses so much so that you might never fry green tomatoes ever again!