Fried Green Tomato Salad

A Fried Green Tomato Salad featuring Fried Green Tomatoes, goat cheese, corn, and a zingy roasted red pepper dressing. A fun salad idea perfect for summer entertaining!

A SOUTHERN SUMMER STAPLE

If you know your food geography, the words "fried green tomatoes" will send your mind straight to the South. Come summertime, Southern restaurants are serving up this staple as an appetizer in abundance, and it is a beloved seasonal menu-item at farm-to-table establishments down here in Texas as well.

But, there's no need for this summertime craze to stop at serving as just an appetizer or side dish. Oh, no. The Fried Green Tomato deserves more than that, and we're sure it can carry its weight as the main event. Serve it up in this show-stopping Fried Green Tomato Salad to wow any Southern crowd!

FRIED GREEN TOMATO SALAD INGREDIENTS

Fried Green Tomatoes have a tart and bright quality to them, once battered and fried, they take on a buttery, heavier mouthfeel. Pairing them with fresh ingredients makes sense, and keeps this salad both fun and exciting!

• Fried Green Tomatoes -- Fried Green Tomatoes are easy to make. Just a simple buttermilk bath, followed by a dunk in seasoned flour, and it's off to some hot oil to develop a perfect, crunchy crust. 
• Watercress or Arugula -- Watercress pairs so perfectly with tomatoes, and has a somewhat spicy bite to it, adding an interesting note of complexity to the salad. If you can't find watercress or just don't want to mess with picking off all of those little leaves, arugula makes a great substitution!
• Corn -- Corn will add a subtle sweetness to an otherwise totally savory salad.
• Goat Cheese --  Goat cheese will add creaminess and a little tang to your Fried Green Tomato Salad. You can buy it already crumbled or buy a log of goat cheese and crumble it yourself by scraping it with a fork.
• Roasted Red Pepper Dressing -- Roasted red pepper dressing whips right up in a food processor or blender, and just like the salad, was created to pair perfectly alongside a fried green tomato! It consists of roasted red bell peppers, fresh shallots, and garlic, as well as smoked paprika. It's a creamy, piquant dressing that puts this Fried Green Tomato salad in a league of its own.

MORE DRESSINGS FOR FRIED GREEN TOMATO SALAD

The sauce you'll most likely find accompanying your Fried Green Tomatoes at a restaurant is classic ranch dressing. If you're looking to make your own ranch, this one's pretty great.

Depending on where your dining in the South, you might also get a side of remoulade next to your Fried Green Tomatoes, meaning you could also top off your salad with a remoulade dressing. If you're looking to make one from scratch, give this recipe from Genius Kitchen a go.

If ever your taste buds should land you in the Southern region, know you don't have to make it all the way down South to enjoy the glorious fried green tomato. It's a fried green tomato salad of restaurant quality, easily made in your own home. Please, enjoy!

5 MORE SALADS YOU'LL LOVE!

• Watermelon, Strawberry & Avocado Salad is a healthy summer salad recipe topped with fresh mint and a sherry-orange vinaigrette.
• Watermelon Salad with Feta features cubed watermelon, arugula, cucumbers and serrano-lime vinaigrette to top it all off! The perfect healthy salad recipe for warm weather and summer days!
• The Classic Wedge Salad is a steakhouse favorite, and a seriously easy salad to make at home! Serve it topped with crispy bacon and a homemade chunky blue cheese for your next steak night in!
• Caesar Salad with a Creamy Parmesan Dressing is great to serve alongside pasta dishes or as its own entree! Top it with chicken or shrimp and call it dinner!
• Panera’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad has become a cult classic! It’s a flavorful salad, full of chicken, blue cheese, and dried apples.

Print Recipe

4.80 from 10 votes

Fried Green Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

A fried green tomato salad featuring fried green tomatoes, goat cheese, corn, and a zingy roasted red pepper dressing. 

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fried green tomato salad

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 369kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

For the Zingy Roasted Red Pepper Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 1 small garlic clove chopped
• 1 roasted red bell pepper from a jar, patted dry
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• ½ tsp fresh tarragon minced (optional)
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• Generous pinch Kosher salt
• Pinch black pepper

For the Tomatoes:

• 2 ¼ c buttermilk
• 4 dashes hot sauce
• 4 green tomatoes sliced ¼" thick and halved
• 1 ½ c canola oil
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• ½ c fine cornmeal
• 1 ¼ tsp Kosher salt
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp black pepper

For the Salad:

• 6 c arugula or 2 bunches watercress stemmed, rinsed and dried*
• 1 c cooked corn
• 2 oz Goat Cheese crumbled

Instructions

To make the dressing:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender or a food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.  
• In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk and hot sauce. Add tomato sliced and allow to soak for 15-20 minutes.
• Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. In a pie dish or a breading tray, mix together flour, cornmeal, salt, smoked paprika and pepper. Once the oil is heated, remove the tomatoes from the buttermilk mixture, one at a time, shaking off excess liquid, then dredge each slice liberally in the flour mixture.
  
• Fry for 1 ½ - 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcrowd the pan. Toss together the ingredients for the salad, top with fried green tomatoes and serve with Zingy Roasted Red Pepper Dressing. 
• Serves 4

Notes

For best results, serve this salad while the fried green tomatoes are still hot, fresh out of the oil!

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 593mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1980IU | Vitamin C: 40.3mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3.7mg