If you’re a tomato grower, you’re probably focused on that moment when the fruit is perfectly ripe — soft, juicy and, in many cases, red. You may not want to sacrifice any of those fleeting specimens for some green tomato cookery, preferring to put it off until cooler days (and nights) approach.
Or maybe you do! Or maybe you’re like me and have spotted tables of green tomatoes at the market. While you don’t hear quite the same level of rapturous praise lavished on green tomatoes, they’re still enjoyable, even refreshing, to eat, not to mention versatile.
“They may be green, but they’re not so astringent that you’ll pucker,” says Deborah Madison in “The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.” “In fact, they’re quite nice raw — almost crunchy and pleasantly green, not tart.”
Here’s a rundown of the ways you can make the most of them.
Frying
All right, we might as well get the most obvious strategy out of the way first. Thanks to their sturdy texture, green tomatoes hold up well to breading and frying. In “Saving the Season,” Kevin West says you can even fry your home-canned green tomatoes (more below), which will be soft out of the jar but nice and crispy once fried.
“Green tomatoes have an affinity for pungent herbs and spices,” writes Kay Fahey in Fine Cooking, which is one reason you should feel free to give your fried green tomatoes some kick. A recipe I published last year from chef Adrian Lipscombe takes advantage of that affinity by spiking the crunchy cornmeal breading with Cajun or Creole seasoning blend.
Fried green tomatoes are a great summer appetizer, served with comeback sauce or pimento cheese. Or tuck them into a sandwich with one of those dips. For something really over the top, try Fried Green Tomato BLTs With Egg.
Baking/dessert
Green tomatoes pair well with spices and work just as well in sweet settings. They can be used in a quick bread similar to what you might make with bananas or zucchini. Green Tomato Bread gets warmed up with ground cinnamon and includes toasted pecans for crunch.
According to Southern Living, “Green tomato pies have been called the ‘apple pies of summer’ because, when baked with warm spices such as cinnamon and cloves, unripe green tomatoes take on fruity notes similar to Granny Smith apples or rhubarb.” Make a one-off pie, or put together a premade filling to preserve in jars for whenever the mood strikes later.
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For something light and refreshing, almost a palate cleanser, consider Green Tomato Mint Sorbet. It includes cardamom and lime juice for even more brightness.
Share this articleSharePreserving/canning
You may be left with a bumper crop of green tomatoes once colder weather sets in (though you can ripen them indoors, if you choose). What better way to maximize their impact than by canning?
“Unripe tomatoes may be canned like ripe tomatoes, following the same directions including acidification,” according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. While in theory green tomatoes are more acidic, or have a lower pH, than ripe tomatoes, there’s enough variation to require acidification, such as with bottled lemon juice or citric acid, to ensure they’re safe for canning.
Salsas are one way to go. Replace red tomatoes with green tomatoes, or mix and match. You can also try substituting green tomatoes for tomatillos in salsa verde. Similarly, green tomatoes make for excellent chutneys, where you can play up that affinity for spices. Have a look at Green Tomato Chutney and, well, Green Tomato Chutney. Also: Green Tomato Mincemeat.
The sharpness of green tomatoes means you’re well on your way to pickles, in the form of relish or kosher-style with dill. Green tomatoes can be used as condiments in other ways, even if you don’t want to go to the effort of canning. In this recipe from chef Vivian Howard, they go into a hot vinaigrette made with bacon and garlic. Southern Living recommends a green tomato mayonnaise that includes basil, chives and Dijon mustard.
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Freezing is a low-lift method for preserving the bounty. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says to start with firm green tomatoes, then wash, core and slice them 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices into containers in layers separated by freezer wrap or wax paper, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Seal, freeze and enjoy at your convenience.
Roasted/grilled
“Slow-roasting and baking concentrate the flavors of green tomatoes,” Fahey says. In many instances where you’d used ripe tomatoes, consider green for a twist. Madison suggests a pasta dish with broken lasagna noodles and goat cheese, as well as adding them to a summer squash gratin. Chop or slice and incorporate into frittatas or other egg bakes. To really showcase them, riff on our 12-Hour Tomatoes, keeping in mind that you may need to reduce the time given the less-ripe fruit.
Grilling is another way to amplify flavor. I love this idea from the blog White on Rice, in which the green tomatoes are grilled after marinating in oil, garlic, brown sugar and Worcestershire, fish sauce, tamari or soy sauce. Southern Living grills them for a modified Caprese salad that uses lighter, brighter white balsamic vinegar.
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If you want to really step outside the box, “you can treat them much the same way you would any firm vegetable,” Fahey says. Stir-fries or other sautes? Sure thing. “Their citrusy flavor makes them a natural match for Asia’s ginger and lemongrass, the Mediterranean’s basil and garlic, and the Middle East’s cinnamon and mint,” she says.
Raw
Nothing is stopping you from enjoying green tomatoes in their raw, unadulterated state. Slice and use in sandwiches as you would ripe tomatoes, Madison says. She mentions topping them with yogurt and dill, although I’d be tempted by a full-on tzatziki. Or maybe a salad with blue cheese or feta dressing and breadcrumbs is more to your liking.
More from Voraciously:
How to pick, prepare and enjoy cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and other melons
A guide to stone fruit: How to choose, ripen, store and cook with it
How to use summer squash: a guide to this bountiful, versatile vegetable
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