My fried red tomatoes with roasted artichoke remoulade was made for summer snack sharing, y'all. Dredged in cassava flour, dipped in egg wash, and finished off with GF bread crumbs, each bite is crunchy on the outside and fall-apart tender on the inside. Roasted artichokes submerged in my easy homemade remoulade sauce increase the flavor and visual dramatic intensity of these fried south Louisiana delicacies. Yep and yay...
I Had a Craving Only Something From South Louisiana Could Fulfill, Y'all...
Since Mark didn't have a chance to plant tomatoes this year, I've been craving tomatoes something awful, y'all!! I once thought that Creole tomatoes were their own variety. But further research concludes that the south Louisiana Creole tomatoes we all know and love down here are actually several cultivars that have been grown here and vine-ripened before being sold locally.
So, what makes them so special to us is their freshness, not that they're a particular kind of tomato at all. Just that they're locally grown and therefore do not have to travel very far from their vines into our mouths. Yep.
With my curiosity now quenched and my heart still crying out for Creole tomatoes, I (sent Mark) to our local produce mart for a big bag of them. I wanted them for salads. But, I also thought of frying the Creole tomatoes to pair with my fave homemade remoulade sauce. Then, I had the thought to bring roasted artichokes into the mix. And then I honestly couldn't think of anything else until I actually got into the kitchen and whipped up a batch.
So I Tried Something Tomato New...
I was kind of nervous, as this was the first time that I'd ever attempted making fried red tomatoes. I'd already mastered my gluten free fried green tomatoes recipe. So, I thought I would use that as the base for this recipe.
However, when I cut into the red tomato flesh, I realized that I would need something a little stronger for the batter since the red tomatoes are a bit mushier than the green. So, I adapted my recipe. And in doing so created a brand new recipe that really can be used interchangeably for both red and green tomatoes.
I'm happy to say that this recipe turned out even better than I expected, y'all. It's super easy, too. And, best of all, all you need is literally one large tomato to pull it off. Indeed.
How to Make Fried Red Tomatoes with Roasted Artichoke Remoulade Sauce
Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F. Then, arrange canned, quartered artichoke hearts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until they look like this:
Next, make the remoulade sauce. Cut ¾ of the cooled roasted artichokes into small pieces. Stir into the remoulade the sauce, and stir until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate until use. Leave the rest of the roasted artichoke heart quarters to top the sauce just before serving.
Then, line three shallow bowls side-by-side on your countertop. In the first, add the cassava flour. In the next bowl, make the egg wash. Then, shake the seasoned gluten free bread crumbs into the third bowl:
Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large cast iron skillet. You only need about an inch or two of oil in the skillet. Once the oil is hot, you fry the double-battered tomato slices for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until both sides are crispy and slightly browned.
Finally, drain on paper towels before serving with the sauce.
And that's it, y'all!!
Just as easy as they are delicious, these fried red tomatoes are the perfect summer midday snack. The inside of each tomato stays melt-in-your-mouth tender, while the outside yields just the perfect crunch. The roasted artichokes inject new depths of flavor and texture into my trusty homemade remoulade sauce, making each bite the perfect juxtaposition of fried, roasted, and sauced yum-deliciousness.
Share these fried red tomatoes with those whose feisty presence never fails to energize your inner being. And see y'all on the yum side...
Fried Red Tomatoes
Ingredients
For the Roasted Artichokes
- 1 14.5-ounce can artichoke hearts quarters, drained
- salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
For the Remoulade Sauce
- 1 batch Remoulade Sauce
For the Fried Red Tomatoes
- 2 to 3 cups cooking oil
- 1 pound red tomatoes Can be just one if the tomato is large enough
- ½ cup cassava flour
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 to 2 cups seasoned gluten free breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season the drained artichoke hearts with the salt, balck pepper, and cayenne peppe.
- Arrange the artichoke hearts in a single layer along the parchment paper-covered baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and browned.
- Set aside to cool.
- Make the Remoulade sauce. Submerge ¾ of cooled, cut roasted artichoke hearts in the sauce. Reserve the rest for topping the sauce. (You can make and refrigerate this Remoulade sauce up to 2 days ahead.)
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet until your fry thermometer reads 350 degrees F.
- Use a large knife to cut the tomatoes into ¼-inch slices.
- Season the slices liberally with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Line three shallow bowls along your counter next to the stove. Fill the first with the cassava flour, the second with a stirred beaten egg, hot sauce and milk mixture, and the third with the seasoned gluten free bread crumbs.
- Dredge the tomato slices in the cassava flour, then the egg wash, then the seasoned bread crumbs.
- Fry a few slices at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side, then flip and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. (If the tomatoes are mushy and cave when you try to flip them, just use your frying spatula to submerge them in the oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute after you're sure the bottom is cooked through.)
- Serve immediately with the roasted artichoke remoulade sauce on top, or on the side as a dipping sauce.
Notes
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