Fried Green Tomatoes With Sriracha Mayonnaise

Heat the oven to 200 F and place a rack in a baking pan if you will be serving the tomatoes all at once.

Put 1/3 cup of flour into a shallow bowl.

In another bowl, beat the egg with the milk until smooth.

Put the remaining 2/3 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper into another shallow bowl. Mix to blend thoroughly.

 Pour about 1/2 inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet. Place over medium heat. If possible, attach a deep-fry thermometer to the pan. Heat the oil to about 370 F. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a 1-inch piece of bread in the oil. It should take about 50 to 60 seconds to brown. 

Meanwhile, working with a few tomatoes at a time, cut stem and blossom ends of the tomato off and discard. Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices. 

Coat a tomato slice with the plain flour, then dip into the egg mixture. Coat with the flour-cornmeal mixture, then place on a rack while you repeat with the remaining slices. 

When the oil is up to temperature, carefully put several tomato slices in the hot oil. Don't crowd the tomatoes.

Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes total time.

With a spatula, transfer the tomatoes to paper towels to dry, sprinkle with salt.

To keep them warm, place them on the rack in the baking pan and place the pan in the preheated oven while you fry the remaining tomatoes.

Serve the fried green tomatoes with the sriracha mayonnaise.

In a bowl, combine the Sriracha sauce, mayonnaise, and chili garlic paste, if using. Blend well and serve with the fried green tomatoes.

Makes about 6 snack or appetizer servings.