Grilled Green Tomato Salad Recipe

If you're familiar with fried green tomatoes without ever having had them, it might be because of the 1991 movie of the same name that popularized the crunchy sliced snack. A Southern staple introduced to America by Jewish immigrants, fried green tomatoes have long been a way to use up unripened tomatoes before winter frosts settled in. While not every green tomato is one waiting to ripen, the kind we batter and fry are sought after for their dense, unripened texture and slightly bitter flavor. This texture holds up to cooking and becomes sweeter in the heat of the oil, making them surprisingly savory, juicy, and delicious.

Like anything fried, the green tomatoes are delectable but messy, cumbersome, and oily to make. While you can reasonably mimic the same crispy texture using the air fryer, you can also skip the breading altogether and opt instead to grill the unripened fruit. Grilled green tomatoes have a unique flavor that is more savory than a typical tomato, and they make an interesting and refreshing option in salads like this one. Paired with creamy burrata, crunchy cornbread croutons, and a touch of red-peppery heat, this panzanella-inspired salad deconstructs the flavors of a fried green tomato and pairs them together in an entirely new way.

The first ingredient you will need for this recipe is, of course, green tomatoes. Green tomatoes are unripened tomatoes that resemble large, round, dense beefsteak tomatoes. Green heirloom tomatoes, however, are fully ripened and simply remain green, and you'll notice that they also have a much less firm texture, too. Seek out firm, round green tomatoes for this recipe. Next, you'll also need leftover cornbread, which you can make from scratch ahead of time or buy store-bought. From there, you just need burrata cheese, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a sheet tray with oil.

In a large bowl, carefully toss the cubed cornbread pieces with 2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon salt until lightly coated.

Spread the oiled cornbread pieces onto the sheet tray.

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and continue baking for another 8-10 minutes, or until it's golden on all sides. The cornbread should become crispy, like a crouton, before you remove it from the oven.

Once the cornbread is golden and crispy, remove it from the oven and set it aside.

In the meantime, preheat the grill to high, or between 400-450 F.

Slice the tomatoes into thick, ½-inch slices, and arrange them on a baking sheet.

Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then brush to coat each tomato. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.

Place the tomato slices on the grill over direct heat. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side, just until charred. Do not overcook or the tomatoes will begin to fall apart.

To prepare the salad, arrange the tomatoes on a large platter.

Break the burrata into several pieces and arrange them around the platter.

Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Top with the cornbread croutons to serve.

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If you can't find green tomatoes, you can still make this recipe with red tomatoes, though you will have to tweak the grilling instructions slightly to avoid mushy slices falling through the grates. Because ripened red tomatoes are more delicate than green tomatoes, slice the tomatoes in half rather than into thinner slices for a firmer base to grill with. Place the tomatoes over direct heat, cut-side down, and grill until they're just charred, about 4 minutes. Remove them right away when they're done. This is the easiest way to grill ripened tomatoes, and after grilling, you can slice the halved pieces into quarters to make the salad easier to eat.

You can also grill slices of ripe tomato, but you will need to consider a few things first. When shopping for tomatoes, find just-ripe, firm tomatoes, avoiding heirlooms or tomatoes that feel squishy to touch. From there, slice the tomatoes into ½-inch thick slices, then drain the excess liquid by salting the tomatoes and setting them in a colander for 15 minutes before grilling. Grill them over direct heat for just 1-2 minutes to char, then remove them from the grill and serve them.

This recipe calls for leftover cornbread, which you can make from scratch or buy ready-made from the grocery store. Cornbread isn't difficult to make from scratch, so if you already have flour and cornmeal, you can try any number of homemade cornbread recipes, which you can throw together the night before — just save about two diced cups for croutons. You can also use a boxed mix — don't worry too much about using the highest-ranked box mix, either, because the cornbread will be crisped into a crouton, anyway.

You can also simply buy premade cornbread if your store has a bakery section or sells cornbread with its prepared hot soups. If you can't find cornbread and are making this salad in a pinch, you can also swap it for breads like brioche or challah, which have a similarly sweet flavor and crisp into a light and airy crouton.

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