Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Fried Green Tomatoes
You know that part in Elf when Buddy ticks off the core food groups as it pertains to elf culture?
This is my version:
- Hot Dogs
- Cheese Fries
- Pickles
- Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
With a passion for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos as… flamin’ hot as mine is (I regret nothing), it was inevitable that I would eventually start experimenting with Chester Cheetah’s finest snack in the kitchen.
While they may be the most perfect snack in my heart, they are certainly mostly a total letdown as an ingredient. They lose their flavor almost completely, leaving behind a drab, tongue-coating film that lacks that signature zing of their spicy, chemical-cheese flavor. It just doesn’t really work in most instances.
Except when you use them to coat fried green tomatoes. Now, if you hate Flamin’ Hots, please know the flavor you associate with them doesn’t really come through here, either. And that’s not a bad thing! For the crunchy fried green tomato exterior, I mix crushed Flamin’ Hots with a bit of cornmeal, which brings out the corn flavor in the Flamin’ Hots and helps transform them for the better.
Fried green tomatoes, for me, must be fried in at least SOME bacon drippings, but if you want to keep these vegetarian, just use a good neutral frying oil you do have handy, along with a pinch of smoked paprika in the coating mixture.
There is one other way I have had good luck with using Flamin’ Hots as an ingredient, but once I tell you what it is, you will understand why I don’t make it for myself: as a breading for chicken. I did it once by request and while I personally wouldn’t eat it again because, well, TRASH BIRD, it was a winner. (Pro tip: pickle brine that trash bird. It’s the secret to success for this application.)
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Fried Green Tomatoes
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes
2 green tomatoes
3 cups Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
Hot sauce
Vegetable oil
Bacon fat (optional)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Lawry’s seasoned salt, to taste
In a large cast iron skillet, combine bacon fat and vegetable oil until there’s about 1/2 inch of oil in the pan. (No bacon fat? No problem. Just use all vegetable oil.) Heat oil over medium while you prepare the tomatoes.
Cut the stem end off each tomato. Cut the tomatoes crosswise into 1/4 inch discs. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with salt, pepper, and Lawry’s and let sit until ready to dredge.
In a food processor, pulse Flamin’ Hots about 10 times, or until the mixture resembles sand. (No food processor? No problem. Throw the Cheetos in a large ziploc bag and beat the hell out of it with a rolling pin until finely crushed. It’s been a long, miserable quarantine; I’m sure you have some aggression to take out on those poor lil’ Cheetos.)
Combine crushed Flamin’ Hots with cornmeal in a shallow dish, like a pie plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg with milk, adding a few dashes of hot sauce if you’d like. Place flour on a plate for dredging and add a dash of Lawry’s, stirring gently with a fork to combine.
Dredge slices of tomato in flour, gently tapping to remove the excess. Using one hand to handle wet ingredients only, dip in egg mixture to coat thoroughly. Using your other hand to handle dry ingredients only, dredge the coated tomato slices in the Flamin’ Hots coating, turning and pressing firmly to completely coat the tomato slices, including the sides. Set prepared tomatoes aside in an individual layer while you work on the rest.
Test the oil to make sure it’s hot enough for frying. Working in batches, fry 3-4 slices at a time, taking care to not crowd the pan. Once the exterior has darkened a bit and feels shatteringly crisp, they’re ready to flip. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until the second side has gotten crispy and deeper in color.
Drain well on a paper towel lined rack and serve warm.
NOTE: You can use all cornmeal if you’re not into the whole Flamin’ Hots lifestyle like I am. I use around 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal for two tomatoes, and I season the cornmeal with a little Lawry’s as well. I AM Midwestern, after all.