Fried Green Tomatoes with Creole Rémoulade

• 4 firm green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cup peanut oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Creole mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 1 tbsp celery, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt, to taste

1. 1

   Whisk the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped capers, minced celery, paprika, cayenne, and salt together in a small bowl. Let it sit in the refrigerator while you fry so the flavors marry — this rémoulade is the soul of the dish, so don't skip the rest time.

2. 2

   Slice the green tomatoes a quarter inch thick and lay them on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let them stand ten minutes — they'll weep moisture, and you want that, because wet tomatoes make for soggy breading. Pat them dry before the next step.

3. 3

   Whisk the buttermilk and hot sauce together in a shallow dish. In a second dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. This is Aunt Doreen's ratio — more cornmeal than flour, and she'd tell you it's not negotiable.

4. 4

   Pour the peanut oil into a cast-iron skillet to about a quarter inch depth and heat it over medium to 350°F. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a pinch of cornmeal in — it should sizzle immediately but not smoke. If the oil smokes, it's too hot and your coating will burn before the tomato warms through.

5. 5

   Dip each tomato slice in the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, then press it firmly into the cornmeal mixture. Coat both sides and set the slices on a wire rack while you work through the batch.

6. 6

   Fry the tomatoes in a single layer without crowding the pan — three or four at a time is right for a ten-inch skillet. Cook about two minutes per side until the crust is deep golden and you can hear the sizzle turn from loud to soft, which tells you the moisture has cooked out of the coating.

7. 7

   Move the fried tomatoes to a clean wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep them warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the rest. Don't stack them on paper towels or the bottom side will steam soft and you'll lose all that crunch.

8. 8

   Serve the tomatoes hot with the rémoulade spooned alongside. Eat them right away — fried green tomatoes don't improve with waiting, and the contrast between that crunch and the cool, tangy sauce is the whole point.

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