My Fried Green Tomato BLT is the greatest twist on a classic BLT sandwich! Imagine southern-fried green tomatoes topped with a spicy remoulade sauce, savory applewood-smoked bacon, avocado mash, and crisp Romaine... all nestled between perfectly toasted sourdough slices. It's the ultimate down-home BLT!
If you're looking for a sandwich that's filling, packed with flavor, and perfectly layered - look no further than this! We take a classic BLT, or bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich, and sub red tomatoes for juicy fried green tomatoes. Paired with a homemade remoulade, it's truly so delicious!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $2.17
- Total Cost (6 sandwiches): $13.02
- Those Other Guys: $16.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Green Tomatoes - Find some big, juicy green tomatoes, preferably from a local farmer's market. They will taste best when in season (summer-fall) but I've used them year-round!
- The Coating - We're going to coat our green tomatoes in a 2:1 ratio of all-purpose flour and yellow cornmeal, plus the perfect mix of seasonings.
- Spicy Remoulade Sauce - You can't have FGTs without a homemade remoulade sauce! Because I love spice, I take it up a notch and create a spicy version, but the ground red pepper is optional.
- Applewood Smoked Bacon - Sorry, the turkey bacon just won't be as good in this recipe. (But if you truly want to use it, feel free.) I grabbed an all-beef version from my local Sprouts that is delicious.
- Bread - A thick, soft sourdough loaf is key to a beautiful BLT. You can find this at your regular grocery store.
- Romaine Lettuce - Romaine is a favorite of mine, it's crunchy but still lends well to other flavors in the sandwich. Be sure to wash and dry well!
- Avocado Mash - To elevate our BLT even more, we're going to add a spread of mashed avocado to the bottom slice of the bread.
Variations and Substitutions
Breads: Switch up the bread for a nice Italian loaf or homemade multigrain.
Breakfast FGT BLT: Add a perfectly-fried egg to the sandwich and switch the remoulade out for some homemade strawberry jelly! Trust me, it's really good.
How to Fry Green Tomatoes... and Turn Them Into a BLT
Step 1: To begin, mix together the ingredients for your remoulade sauce and set it in the fridge, covered. This will help the flavors mingle.
Step 2: Turn your green tomatoes on their sides and cut them into thin slices, about ¼ inch pieces. Add them to a paper towel-lined pan, cover with more paper towels, and let them dry for at least 20 minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile, you can cook your bacon until crispy. I put instructions below on how to bake them in the oven.
You also want to go ahead and toast your bread slices, wash and cut your lettuce, and create the avocado mash.
Step 4: Once the tomatoes are dry, create your two dredge bowls - one with seasoned buttermilk and egg, and one with a spiced flour/cornmeal mix.
Dip a tomato into the wet bowl.
Step 5: Add that tomato to the dry bowl, patting in the cornmeal/flour mix.
Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to get a double coating.
Step 6: Tap off any excess flour, and your tomato should look like this.
Set it on a lined tray, and repeat with the remaining tomatoes.
Step 7: Time to fry!
Add veggie oil to a cast iron skillet or deep fryer, and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Step 8: And now we can assemble.
I like to set all of my sandwich components out like this, and everyone can make their own plate to their liking.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Dry the tomatoes completely. Tomatoes contain tons of water. We want to dry them as best as possible so the coating can stick well.
- Let them rest! After double coating, let the tomatoes rest for about 5 minutes before frying. This helps the breading stick and an even layer. I usually heat my oil up and clean up the kitchen a bit while waiting!
- Work smarter, not harder. While waiting on the tomatoes to dry (usually 20 minutes), go ahead and prep the other ingredients. That way, after frying - you're ready to eat.
Recipe FAQs
There are actually (2) types of green tomatoes: the ripe variety (usually heirloom), and the unripe red variety (what we use for FGTs.) The unripe red version is more firm and less juicy than normal red tomatoes. The texture makes them perfect for frying, as we'll do today!
The green tomatoes are a bit more tart than normal tomatoes, but the acidity does mellow out after it has been cooked. Pair that with the seasoned, crunchy crust, and you get a flavor bomb in your mouth.
Yes! Cook at 375°F for about 10 minutes - more detailed air fryer instructions & tips can be found in my cookbook, Air Fried Boss.
More Tasty Lunches You'll Crave!
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Fried Green Tomato BLT
Ingredients
Spicy Remoulade
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pinch ground red pepper to taste
Other Sandwich Components
- 12 slices applewood smoked bacon
- 12 slices sourdough bread
- 2 count avocados
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Romaine hearts
- mayonnaise to spread
Fried Green Tomatoes
- 2 count green tomatoes large
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 count egg
- 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning separated
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Remoulade Sauce
- Start by mixing all of the remoulade sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover, and let sit in the refrigerator until the sandwiches are ready to assemble.
Ingredient Prep
- Turn the green tomatoes on their side and slice them into ¼ inch thick rounds. You should get about 10 slices.
- Lay them down on a paper towel-lined pan, top with another paper towel, and let them dry for at least 20 minutes.
- While the tomatoes are drying, cook the bacon to your preference. I suggest adding to a foil-lined pan and placing in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 390°F and cook until crispy. Be sure to pat away any excess grease.
- Mash the avocados into a small bowl and season with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Wash and slice the Romaine lettuce, and toast your sourdough bread.
- Your tomatoes should now be dry! In a shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, and the hot sauce.
- In another shallow bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- Dip the tomatoes in the egg wash, then the dry mix. Repeat to double-coat them.
- Let the battered tomatoes rest while you heat up your vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet to about 375°F. It should be enough oil in the skillet to just cover the tomatoes.
- Fry the tomatoes for 5-6 minutes until golden brown, flipping them halfway through. Be sure to not overcrowd your skillet; I suggest frying 3 or 4 at a time. Set the finished tomatoes on a paper-towel lined pan.
Sandwich Assembly
- Assemble the sandwiches.For the perfect bite, I recommend the following order: bottom bread slice, avocado mash, fried green tomatoes, remoulade sauce, bacon, lettuce, mayo, and top bread slice. Enjoy!
Mary says
I was looking for a fried green tomato recipe and stumbled upon this. The whole family loved it. And now I have a staple recipe for remoulade sauce
Shani W. says
Thank you for commenting Mary! I love the remoulade sauce as well.
Aria says
this looks so good! Can’t wait to try it