During last year’s tomato salmonella scare, I wasn’t worried a bit.

I knew that my family was fine, because we get our tomatoes from the farmers’ market.

There’s really no point in doing otherwise. Most of the time, if you get your tomatoes out of season at the supermarket, they’ve been picked far too early. By the time they get to the shelves, they may be red, but if you smell them, they don’t smell like anything. They don’t taste like anything, either. They’re often pale inside and just not a good experience.

When people tell me that they don’t care for tomatoes, I wonder if they’ve ever had a good one.

I know I was the tomato bandit of the neighborhood growing up, sneaking into the neighbors’ gardens and, hunched down between the rows, eating as many warm cherry tomatoes as I could get into my mouth.

My stepdaughter Madison also will eat tomatoes like apples, so much so that I have to beg for her to leave me just a couple for dinner or lunch plans.

Many of y’all know that I hail from Mobile, Ala. (where we know our tomatoes!), and as Southern as my family is, my mother didn’t fry anything all that often. S

he made beignets on one memorable occasion, which is another column entirely and a testament to three very ungrateful children (who are very sorry for it now, Mama), but on the whole, we ate fairly healthy food.

Fried green tomatoes, which many yankees think we southerners eat on a daily basis, at least, aren’t part of my background. I’d never even tasted one until we happened by the Green Garden Chinese Buffet in Alexander City, Ala. There were fried green tomatoes on one end, banana pudding on the opposite end, and some vaguely Chinese-y stuff fit in between.

So this isn’t a family recipe. I doubt my great grandmother would have had access to panko flakes. I bet my father would like the change, though. If you want to be more traditional, substitute cornmeal for the panko. You’ll get a crunch, but not the crispness.

As far as the oil goes, you can use any oil that would take high heat well. Peanut oil is fine, as is vegetable oil. You could even use a combination of olive oil and butter; just watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Did I use any of these for the tomatoes pictured? No, I did not. As for what I did use, I won’t put it in print, but it definitely solidified the whole Japanese-Southern fusion aspect of the dish.

Your tomatoes should be very green, and firm, all the way through. If you’re not growing your own, you can pick them up at your local farmers market.

Rachel may be reached at rachels.recipes@yahoo.com.

Fried Green Tomatoes

4 green tomatoes

2 beaten eggs

First coating:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Second coating:

1 1/2 cups panko flakes (also known as Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne

Oil of your choice

Slice tomatoes about 1/2-inch thick. Set up a fry assembly line, with flour, salt and peppers in one dish, beaten eggs in a second dish, and panko, salt, and peppers in the third.

Dip each slice in flour, and shake off any excess (you're looking for a light coating). Dip the flour-coated slices in beaten egg, then into the panko flakes, pressing them in firmly to make sure they adhere. Set the slices out on a wire rack just for about 15-20 minutes to let the coating set up. Fry in approximately 1/2 inch of hot fat over medium-high heat until nicely browned (four to six minutes depending on your pan and stove). You can serve these as is, although I've heard of them being served with a cream gravy as well. Serves 6-8.