Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab Salad

Name: Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab Remoulade
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon garlic (minced); 1/4 cup capers; 1 tablespoon creole spice blend (can use Old Bay); 12 ounces lump crab meat (2 small cans); 2 pounds firm green tomatoes; 1 cup all purpose flour; 2 eggs; 3/4 cups sour cream; 1/4 cup water; 2 cups cornmeal; 4 teaspoons spice blend

Home » Southern cooking » Fried Green Tomato Stack with Creamy Crab Remoulade

These fried green tomatoes were made with an heirloom tomato from our farm (HeathGlen Farm) called Aunt Ruby’s Green. Accompany them with a tangy crab remoulade, and you have Southern comfort food worthy of a high-end restaurant.

Plate it as a stack for visual impact, or serve the fried tomatoes flat with crab salad spooned on top for a more casual meal. Either way, it’s a perfect use for firm green tomatoes before the first frost.

Quick Summary: Crispy fried green tomatoes topped with a creamy crab remoulade made with lump crab, mayo, Dijon, and Cajun spices. Works as an appetizer, lunch, or light dinner. Prep: 20 min | Cook: 5 min | Serves: 12

Jump to: RECIPE | Ingredients & Substitutions | Illustrated Step by Step

3 Fried green tomatoes topped with crab salad and a side of red sauce. — Fried green tomatoes topped with a crab remoulade

Fried green tomatoes and crab salad stack — Fried green tomato stack with Aunt Ruby’s heirloom tomatoes from my farm

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What Makes this Dish Special?

For me it’s all about the tomato variety. You can use heirloom varieties that are green even when ripe, or you can use end-of-the-season tomatoes that have not colored up yet and developed their sugars.

Aunt Ruby’s German Green is my favorite variety for fried green tomatoes as it is firm like the end-of-season tomatoes, but it has a special fruity flavor; almost apple-like.

I’ve also grown heirloom green varieties like Evergreen and Green Giant, but Aunt Ruby’s has been a consistent stand-out.

3 Green Heirloom Tomato varieties — 3 Heirloom green tomato varieties: Aunt Ruby’s, Green Giant, and Green Zebra

Ingredients and Substitutions

The following photo shows you all the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For details on measurements, see the recipe below.

Ingredients for fried green tomatoes with crab Remoulade — Ingredients: mayo, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, capers, creole spice blend, green tomatoes, lump crab, flour, corn meal, eggs, sour cream, spice blend

The tomatoes:

The key ingredient here is the green tomato. You can use heirloom green tomato varieties that remain green all season, or you can use unripe red tomatoes.

Tip: Just be sure they are firm so they can hold up to the frying. The large slicer type of tomato works better than small ones.

The spices:

I used a cajun blend based on one of Emeril’s combinations, which I included in the recipe card below. Use your preference for a spice blend and adjust the heat level to your preference

The crab:

Fresh crab is best of course, but depending on where you live that may not be realistic. I live in Minnesota now and don’t have access to fresh crab, so I used canned, which worked out well. Just be sure to use lump crab so that it doesn’t dissolve into the mixture.

Buttermilk:

Many Southern breading recipes call for buttermilk, but that is not something that the everyday cook regularly stocks in their fridge. I always have sour cream, so I make a substitute buttermilk with 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup milk or water.

Tip: Another quick DIY buttermilk is to add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of milk. Stir it and let it sit for about 10 minutes. It’ll get that tangy kick you’re looking for!

Step-by-Step: Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab Remoulade

Here are the steps lined out with photos. For the details of the recipe itself, see the recipe card below.

Mayonnaise, mustard, spices and sour cream blended in a bowl. — Step #1: Mix mayonnaise, mustard, spices, and sour cream in a bowl until well blended.

Crab salad (remoulade) in a white bowl with black spatula. — Step #2: Gently stir in crab into the mayo base.

Bowl of flour with cajun spices sprinkled on top — Step #3: Add cajun spices to the flour in a wide bowl and set aside.

Eggs and sour cream with a wire whisk in a bowl. — Step #4: Whisk together eggs and sour cream mixture.

Cornmeal with cajun spices in a bowl — Step #5: Stir spice blend into cornmeal in a wide bowl.

Green tomatoes sliced and layered on white board. — Step #6: Slice green tomatoes 1/2” thick.

3 bowls in prep for fried green tomatoes: flour, eggs and cornmeal — Step #7: Dip the sliced tomatoes into the flour bowl, then the egg mixture, and then the cornmeal.

4 Green tomatoes after dipping in flour-egg-cornmeal with 3 green tomatoes not dipped — Step #8: Use fingers or tongs to lay out the first batch of tomatoes

4 battered green tomatoes in a cast iron skillet — Step #9: Fry the first batch of tomatoes in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side

Fried green tomatoes on a cooling rack — Step #10: Remove tomatoes to a cooling rack with a spatula or tongs.

More Great Southern Recipes:

FAQ

Can I use ripe tomatoes?

No. Ripe tomatoes are too soft and will fall apart during frying. You need firm, unripe green tomatoes or an heirloom variety harvested just before it fully ripens.

What if I can’t find fresh crab?

Canned lump crab works well. Just drain it thoroughly and be gentle when folding it into the remoulade so it doesn’t break apart. Don’t use shredded canned crab.

How do I make buttermilk if I don’t have any?

Mix 3/4 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup milk or water. Alternatively, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Can I make this ahead?

Make the crab remoulade up to a day ahead and refrigerate. Fry the tomatoes just before serving; they don’t hold well and lose crispiness quickly.

Is this dish slow carb friendly?

The crab remoulade is slow carb compliant. The breaded fried tomatoes are not due to the flour and cornmeal. For a slow carb version, try this recipe.

If you enjoy Southern cooking, check out this category of more than a dozen Southern recipes.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab Remoulade

Southern fried green tomatoes topped with a creamy mayonnaise-based crab salad remoulade.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 5

Servings

Calories 95

Author Dorothy Stainbrook

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Crab Salad

1 ½ cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic minced
¼ cup capers
1 tablespoon creole spice blend can use Old Bay
12 ounces lump crab meat 2 small cans

For the Fried Green Tomatoes

2 pounds firm green tomatoes
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
¾ cups sour cream
¼ cup water
2 cups cornmeal
4 teaspoons spice blend

Instructions

Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, capers, and spice blend in a medium-size mixing bowl. Mix well.
Gently toss in the lump crab meat, taste. And then season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/4 cup capers, 1 tablespoon creole spice blend, 12 ounces lump crab meat
Prepare 3 shallow bowls with the dredging mix. In the first bowl whisk together the flour and 1-2 tsp of spice blend. In the second bowl, use a wire whisk to beat together the eggs, sour cream and water. In the third bowl whisk together the corn meal and 1-2 tsp of spice blend.
Slice the tomatoes fairly thickly (~ 1/2-inch). Heat 1/2 cup of the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Dredge the tomatoes first in the flour, coating evenly on both sides and tapping off any excess. Dip them in the egg wash and let the excess drip off. Then dredge in the cornmeal, tapping off any excess.
Pan-fry several at a time in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Add more oil to the pan as necessary to fry the remaining tomato slices.
Drain on a cooling rack.
2 pounds firm green tomatoes, 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 eggs, 3/4 cups sour cream, 1/4 cup water, 2 cups cornmeal, 4 teaspoons spice blend
Serve either as a stack with the crab salad between each fried tomato or lay out the fried tomatoes individually and top with the crab salad.
Serve with hot sauce for people to customize to their preference of spiciness.

Notes

Emeril’s spice blend:

1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Alternatively, use Old Bay seasoning and serve with a bottle of hot sauce for those who like spice and heat.

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Nutrition

Calories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 8gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 276mgPotassium: 258mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 561IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg

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