Recipe for quick and lightly fried Tomatilgo
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Fried tomato slices are delightfully similar to fried green tomatoes – but with that wonderful lemon zest that makes tomato jam so delicious, plus a little extra wilting even after a swirl of hot oil. For this dish, use large tomatillos, otherwise you’ll have so many small slices that you’ll end up with more ‘fried’ than ‘tomatillos’.
Serve on their own as a fun appetizer, or place on a light salad with some simple greens.
What you’ll need
4 large tomatillos 1/2 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional) 1 egg 2 cups breadcrumbs (or 1 cup chanterelles) Canola oil (or vegetable oil) for frying Sea salt for contaminating (optional)
How to make it
Remove and discard the shells of the paper wrappers covered with tomato paste. Rinse the tomato oil clean and pat them dry (some have a more sticky coating on them than others). Cut the tomatillos into 1/2-inch slices (use or discard the rounded ends if you prefer). In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and cinnamon, if using. In another bowl, scrape egg with 1/4 cup water. In three bowls, place the breadcrumbs or muffin tin. Place the bowls in that order from left to right (or right to left if you’re left-handed!): Flour, egg, jars. Bread one tomatillo slice at a time: use your left hand to put it in the flour, shake off the excess flour, then let the egg wash, pull it out of the eggshell with your right hand and let the excess drip off , then place the breadcrumbs or muffin tin and use your left hand to pull the topping together and out. Place on a tray or large plate and repeat with the remaining tomatillo slices. (Keeping your left hand for “dry” operations and your “right hand for wet” will help minimize the bread-y coating and evenly coated tomatillo layer that will form on your hands). Heat about 1/2 inch of oil with a wide weight over medium-high heat until the oil is about 375°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you’ll know it’s hot enough when the wooden spoon on the oil comes to an end and the oil immediately and forcefully (but not violently) bubbles around it. If those bubbles rub or bounce against the sides of the spoon, the oil is too hot. When the oil is hot, cook enough of the coating into the tomatillo slices to fit in a single layer without being able to push them out or put them in without touching them. Fry until golden brown on one side, slip lightly with your tongs and fry until golden brown on the other side. Drain in paper towels or on a cooling rack on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tomatillo slices. Sprinkle with salt (I like the texture and season with coarse salt here) and serve hot.
