by RYAN MILEJCZAK
America celebrates its 250th birthday this month, and as the nation at large honors its history, we’re doing the same with a key part of Florida’s heritage: the Florida Cracker.
The term “Cracker” was first applied to cattlemen in Florida in the 1800s, with the name likely referring to the cracks of the whips they used to drive cattle. Today, the term more broadly refers to those whose families have lived in Florida for generations.
Those early Florida settlers ate dishes like fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, johnny cakes, and yes, even alligator!
Fried Green Tomatoes
Adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 ½ cups panko
- 4 medium green tomatoes, stemmed and sliced ¼” thick
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a wide shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk until well combined. Place the flour in a second shallow bowl. Stir together cornmeal, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a third shallow bowl.
Dredge tomatoes in flour, shake off excess, then dip in egg wash, let excess drip off, then finally dredge in breadcrumb mix. Set aside on a plate or baking sheet.
Next, heat a half inch of vegetable oil over medium high in a large skillet. Fry tomatoes in batches, avoiding crowding them, flipping them halfway through. Remove them when golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Johnny Cakes
Adapted from The Kitchn
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup lard, bacon grease, or vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, beat 2 large eggs, then add them along with the buttermilk, honey, and water to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
Heat butter and lard (or bacon grease, or vegetable oil, depending on what you use) in a cast iron pan over medium-high. Add batter to the oil in ⅛ cup portions and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Enjoy hot with butter and maple syrup.
Fried Catfish
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 catfish fillets
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup fine cornmeal
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ¼ tsp celery seed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Begin by soaking your catfish in buttermilk.
Meanwhile, mix together cornmeal, flour, salt, and spices in a bowl then transfer to a shallow dish.
Heat a half an inch of oil in a heavy frying pan until it reaches 350 F. Dredge catfish in breading, shake off excess, and transfer to your frying pan. Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Fry catfish until golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes per side, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve hot with traditional Southern sides like collard greens and grits.
This recipe can also easily be adapted to make alligator:
Fried Alligator
Adapted from Went Here 8 This
Ingredients:
Same as above, except:
- Sub the catfish for 1lb of alligator meat (tail or fillet), cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- Sub the cornmeal for another ½ cup of flour
Instructions
Making fried alligator is very similar to making fried catfish, with a few changes. We’ll start the same way by soaking the gator in buttermilk, but we’ll go for a longer soak, 2 to 4 hours.
From here, the steps are the same: combine flour, salt, and spices, dredge gator in breading, then fry at 350 F. Keep in mind that, because the gator pieces will be larger than the catfish, you’ll likely need more oil, 2 to 3 inches.