Last Updated on July 29, 2023
Tomato lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this. In this easy summer time recipe from Sara Moulton Cooks at Home you start with a base of breaded and fried green tomato slices, top it off with a little salad of cherry tomatoes, and spoon on some homemade ranch dressing. Done. Just make sure all the tomatoes are fresh and in season.
Ingredients
For the salad:
12 to 15 yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteFor the dressing:
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 scallions, white part only, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the salad:
12 to 15 yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteFor the dressing:
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 scallions, white part only, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the tomatoes:
3 medium green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Additional freshly ground black pepper to taste
Serves 6 to 8
- Begin with the salad. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the salt and drain in a large strainer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the tomatoes gently with the mint, basil, and parsley. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Stir again and season with salt and pepper to taste. You should have about 1 cup.
- To prepare the dressing, mince the garlic, then crush it with the flat side of a large knife. Add the salt and work into a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl and add the mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, scallions, parsley, and chives. Whisk in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and blend. You should have about 1 1/4 cups. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- For the green tomatoes, sprinkle with salt on both sides, drain in a colander for 10 to 15 minutes, and pat dry. Working in 3 batches, heat 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Dip 6 tomato slices, one slice at a time, in the cornmeal mixture and gently shake off the excess. Cook slices in one layer until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain slices on paper towels and wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel. Make two more batches with the remaining butter, oil, tomatoes, and cornmeal mixture in the same manner, wiping out the skillet between batches.
- To serve, decoratively arrange 3 or 4 of the tomato slices overlapping on a plate. Drizzle with a small amount of the dressing and garnish with a spoonful of the salad. Serve at room temperature.
Sara, I love your recipes, but I’m a bit confused by the directions for the Fried Green Tomatoes. I see no cheese in the ingredients list and in the third paragraph of the directions it says to “spoon on the cheese mixture”… I’m guessing this was inadvertently inserted here from a different recipe. Would you please clarify? Thank you.
BTW, it was the salad and dressing that caught my interest, sounds good over the tomatoes. Yum! Can’t wait for fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Good catch Sue. Sometimes when setting up a whole new website, things get mixed around and put in the wrong place. Thanks so much.
Sara you are so awesome and I miss your shows that use to be on. I enjoy reading about your recipes and finding them so I can share with others. Keep up the awesome work and never stop being who you are just be Sara LOL!
Thanks for being such a nice and wonderful lady and Chef
Kimberly
Work at home mom
Iowa
42 yrs old.
I am so glad that I finally found your TV show on Cooking Channel! I love the cooking techniques, handy hints and general knowledge that your show delivers. I don’t aspire to be a chef but I would like to be a very good home cook. The rural area I live in does not offer a lot of classes and I don’t want to go to culinary school for the basics — your show definitely is a step in the right direction.
[…] Cherry Tomato Salad that was published in Gourmet in August 2002. You can also find her recipe here. I’ve never bothered with the salad because I’m lazy; I just use the fried green […]