It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy a platter of fried green tomatoes. Every summer I can’t wait to try them in some new recipe. This year I made a salad loaded with quartered fried green tomatoes, Aussie shrimp, bits of fried bacon and the most delicious remoulade dressing I’ve tasted since the old days at the Cafe Oceano in Albuquerque. The Cafe is long gone now but I still remember the days of chalkboard seafood specials and the house remoulade dressing which was so good in my memory. This salad is like a serving of Southern hospitality with warm tomatoes, spicy shrimp and bacon on top. But don’t worry if you have any leftovers. Even chilled, this salad tastes great!
This was originally a Remoulade sauce that I made into a dressing by adding buttermilk and it turned out to be one of my favorite dressings. I did make one change which is is not pictured and optional but I used half mayo and half plain greek yogurt. The other ingredients include a pungent dijon or whole grain mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, green onion, fresh parsley, garlic, paprika, hot sauce, salt, cayenne pepper, horseradish or horseradish dip and buttermilk.
If you want to use Greek yogurt for a healthier version, scoop an individual sized Greek yogurt into a measuring cup (which is a little over 1/2 cup) and fill the rest with mayo to measure 1 cup. Then begin adding your remaining ingredients. So far I have the mustard and lemon juice.
Then add the rest of the ingredients.
Lastly add the buttermilk. I added 1/4 cup at a time until I had the right consistency and texture. It took approx. 3/4 cup to reach the perfect texture and taste.
Once all mixed together place the dressing in the fridge. The longer it chills the better. All those flavors start to enhance and blend together after an hour or so.
Slice bacon into bits and fry in a large cast iron skillet. Leave the bacon grease in the pan. In a ziplock bag add 1/2 cup cornmeal and 1/4 cup flour. Slice 2 green tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices and sprinkle FGT seasoning over them. Drop the slices into the cornmeal bag and shake. If the bacon grease is enough to coat the bottom of the pan, go ahead and heat back up and fry tomato slices. If you need additional oil, add enough olive oil to the pan to fry the tomato slices. Fry 2 – 3 minutes on each side on medium high heat. When crisp remove to a plate lined with a paper towel.
Quarter slice the tomatoes so they will be easier to distribute on the salad.
Grill 1 pound of Aussie shrimp. They take a little bit of prep but cook up on the grill in about 5 – 6 minutes top. Just 2 -3 minutes on each side should do it.
Put your salad together with your favorite greens on the bottom. Top with warm fried green tomatoes, Aussie shrimp, bacon bits and shaved Parmesan cheese. All it needs is some remoulade dressing to make it complete.
Fried Green Tomato Salad with Aussie Shrimp and Remoulade Dressing
Salad Greens, leafy lettuce works well
2 Green Tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
1/2 cup Cornmeal
1/4 cup Flour
FGT Seasoning, find ingredient list here as well as step by step pics to fry tomatoes. No buttermilk necessary to soak tomatoes for this recipe
4 – 6 slices Bacon, cut into bite size bits
Reserved Bacon Grease and additional Olive Oil if necessary
Aussie Shrimp, find recipe here as well as step by step pics.
Shaved Parmesan
Remoulade Dressing, recipe follows
Combine all Remoulade Dressing ingredients into a bowl except buttermilk and mix well. Stir in buttermilk 1/4 cup at a time until you have the desired consistency and taste.
Fry bacon bits in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When bacon is crisp, remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside. Leave bacon grease in skillet.
Sprinkle FGT seasoning over both sides of sliced tomatoes. Measure out cornmeal and flour and place in a ziplock bag. Drop the slices into the bag, zip up bag and shake until the slices are coated. Heat bacon grease and add additional olive oil if necessary. Just enough oil is needed to coat the bottom of the pan. When the grease is hot, add the tomato slices and fry over medium high heat 3 – 4 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel, cut into quarters and set aside.
To make Aussie Shrimp, first clean shrimp and remove tails. Skewer 1 pound of shrimp and prepare on the grill with spice blend, 1 tablespoon melted butter and a spritz of lemon. Grill 2 – 3 minutes on each side.
Layer first with salad greens, then top with fried green tomatoes, Aussie shrimp, bacon bits and shaved Parmesan. Add remoulade dressing as desired.
Remoulade Dressing
1 cup Mayo or 1 individual container of Plain Greek Yogurt poured into a measuring cup and fill remainder of cup with Mayo
2 tablespoons Dijon or Whole Grain Mustard
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Horseradish or Horseradish Dip (Dip mix is much milder and can be ordered from Penzey’s
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Green Onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 teaspoons Hot Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
3/4 cup Buttermilk
Combine all the ingredients together except buttermilk and blend well. Whisk in buttermilk 1/4 cup at a time until you have the desired consistency. (I used 3/4 cup). Chill in refrigerator until ready to use. Will keep chilled for 2 weeks.
Makes 4 servings.
An Inspired Cook 