Fried Green Tomatoes with Poached Eggs and Basil
A breakfast or brunch recipe of garden-picked green tomatoes, lightly breaded and fried, then served with bursting poached eggs and torn basil leaves. Don’t forget the picante sauce. Perhaps with a bit of champagne?
Are you tired of me talking about our garden yet? So sorry! I can’t help it, though, because we’re in zone 5 and the amount of time we’re allowed to enjoy it is so limited, so we’re forced to bundle up all this GARDEN JOY into only a few short months. So YEP, I tend to go a bit crazy with the garden love this time of year. I made this over the weekend for a quick late breakfast. We allowed ourselves to be lazy and slept in a couple hours past our normal wake up time. Weekends are SOOO nice for this. You get to catch up on your sleep, then step out to the garden to see what’s ready for your meal.
We had a few ripe tomatoes, but when I saw the large heirlooms there that weren’t quite ready to pick, my mind immediately raced to fried green tomatoes. Have you ever had fried green tomatoes? No? Well well! You’re in for a treat. It is something you definitely need to try for yourself.
I was young-ish when I first heard of fried green tomatoes. It was 25 years ago, the year the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” was released. Great movie, btw! You’d think I would have heard of the dish called “fried green tomatoes”, but nope. I wasn’t quite into food yet the way I am now, and to be honest, the idea of eating green tomatoes that were fried didn’t sound very good to me. Seriously, I didn’t understand. Why would anyone want to eat unripe tomatoes? Fried, no less? Turns out they’re CRAZY good and now I’m upset with myself for NOT being able to enjoy them all those years.
It’s a southern recipe, really, so it isn’t surprising that I wouldn’t have encountered them growing up in the Chicago area and almost never going anywhere. Once I began traveling to the southern U.S., I quickly discovered them andI’m so happy I did. I enjoy making them at home and it’s simple, really, as long as you’re comfortable with frying. Not a problem here!
I like to pick tomatoes that are green but just starting to ripen. You want them green because they’re firmer and will hold up better to the frying process. If the tomatoes are too ripe, they might fall apart on you and could end up a bit mushy. They’re still tasty, but you want a bit of firmness to them. The breading is a mixture of flour and panko, seasoned with salt, pepper and a Cajun seasoning blend. I do like my spices! Bread them, fry them up, then serve them topped with poached eggs that are ready to BURST with yolk and some torn basil leaves for color and another pop of freshness.
I also drizzled some homemade picante sauce over the top and side of the dish because I LOVE picante. Can’t get enough picante sauce. It isn’t needed, as the yolks will provide plenty of moisture, but if you’re into picante like me, bring it on. If you’re so included, I suggest a simple mimosa to accompany your fried green tomatoes. Why not start off the day right? Enjoy!
Here is the dish just before you bust open those eggs. DELISH.
- 2 medium almost-ripe heirloom green tomatoes
- 5 eggs
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1-1/2 cups panko
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasonings
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil
- Torn basil leaves for serving
- Picante sauce for serving if desired
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Slice the tomatoes into thick slices.
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Add 1 egg to a bowl and scramble the egg.
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To a separate bowl, add flour, panko, Cajun seasonings and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
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Add oil to a deep pot and heat to 375 degrees. Do not let the oil boil.
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Dip the tomato slices into the egg wash, then into the flour-panko mixture. Coat well.
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Set into the oil and fry them 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Remove from oil and set onto paper towels to drain.
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Bring a pot of water to boil. Crack eggs into the boiling water and lightly poach them, about 3 minutes each. Strain out and serve over the fried green tomato slices. Garnish with fresh basil.
NOTE: I served mine with a bit of fresh picante sauce drizzled on top.
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