Words & Recipe by Margo Price
Photos by Andrew Thomas Lee & Food Styling by Brian Wolfe
September 12, 2023
This year I have a lot of different tomato varieties: orange Sun Sugars, bright red cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and Arkansas Traveler tomatoes. But my pride and joy are my Tennessee Green Zebra tomatoes, which are a striking cross of four different heirlooms. They take around 80 days to mature and do best (far as I can tell) in raised beds.
Besides some gorgeous firm green tomatoes, you’re also going to need a cast iron skillet or a deep fryer, heavy cream, cornmeal, panko bread crumbs, canola oil, salt, pepper, and eggs. (I get my eggs from my neighbors up the road, but store-bought eggs work as well!)
I pair these with a homemade garlic-basil aioli that you can also make from scratch. Maybe I’ll share that recipe online in the coming weeks.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds Green Zebra tomatoes, sliced
¾ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 cups yellow cornmeal
Canola oil
Cut the tomatoes from the vine — if you pull them, you may damage them. Next, clean tomatoes under running water, dry them, and slice them evenly, starting down the center. Be careful not to get them too thick or too thin! (Also, DO NOT accidentally cut off your fingers; you may need them for a plethora of things — including guitar picking.)
Whisk together the heavy cream and eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.
Next, mix the panko bread crumbs with the cornmeal. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
Fill your cast iron pan or deep fryer with a couple inches of canola oil and turn the heat up to medium-high. (Peanut oil works, too, but never use olive, vegetable, or avocado oil — they’re too expensive, and they don’t taste as good, either!)
Prepare the tomatoes by drowning them in the egg mixture, then transfer them to the coating mixture. Cover completely, then, once the oil is sizzling, fry them up!
