Recipe

Fried Green Tomato Hornworms Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Thegoldminer / All my dishes 1 year, 5 months ago What does a tomato hornworm taste like? Well, what would you taste like if you'd been stuffing yourself solely with tomato leaves for the better part of a month? Hornworms are ridiculously chlorophyll-rich. They taste great with just about any summer... More Prep:4m Cook:12m Servings:4	Thegoldmine
	easy to make

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Ingredients

"You'll think you died and gone to heaven," boasts Flagg of her recipe. To which I add, "If you do go to heaven, ask the Powers That Be to keep the tomato hornworms out of my vegetable patch."

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 16 tomato hornworms

• 4 medium green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

• Salt and pepper to taste

• White cornmeal

July 22. Isn't that funny, this is a humor post yet some think I actually make this recipe, no I can't even go there. I was googling hornworms to learn about their life cycles and found this recipe posted. If someone does really eat this, got more and bigger "tomatoes" than I do. Interesting comments.

Directions

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil. Then lightly fry the hornworms, about 4 minutes, taking care not to rupture the cuticles of each insect under high heat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Season tomato rounds with salt and pepper, then coat with cornmeal on both sides.

In a large skillet, fry tomatoes until lightly browned on both sides

Top each round with 2 fried tomato hornworms.

Garnish the paired hornworms with a single basil leaf. Bon appetite!

I took the three pics of the little critters last year. Only when I used my macro lens did I find the hornworm has little claws in the front to grab the stem and those cool sucker feet in the rear to stay stuck and not fall off the leaf. Just love to take pics.

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Comments

thegoldminer 1 year, 5 months ago said:
I hope I see some humorous comments posted for such a protein rich delicious recipe. Yummm Don't let the green stuff get stuck in your front teeth!

trigger 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Sorry JJ I am a little squeamish when it comes to these. The photos are good for identifying the Horn Worm which is hard to spot with it's matching green color. Thank you for that part anyway.

jett2whit 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Eewwww! Probably if I was on FearFactor or some other crazy reality show.....Naw, I don't think so! You can eat all those cute little tomato hornworms you want. Anthony Bourdauin might enjoy this.

greekgirrrl 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Wow.. I feel like I'm watching Andrew Zimmern!! LOL..Hey I eat escargot which we all know is snails!! These look like snails without the shell... sort of. I'll try anything once. Why not! 5 for the guts it takes to post a recipe that makes most people squeamish!

momo_55grandma 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Sorry goldminer ya cant eat the worms I myself will indulge in the tomatoes. Thanks for trying anyway.LOL

raelene1951 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Sometimes I feel that I have enough to make a feast out of these creatures....any organic ways of geting rid of these?

pat2me 1 year, 5 months ago said:
These don't sound as crunchy as the chocolate covered grasshoppers and ants that someone tried to talk me into eating when I was a kid.

Also, probably better than finding a bee in a fried squash blossom too, which I did not find amusing.....at least you know what you're eating!

Love the post JJ!

clbacon 1 year, 5 months ago said:
This is THE most unique recipe yet! Although I cannot say I am going to try it any time soon! LOL

suddenlyelaine2003 1 year, 5 months ago said:
LOL and to think I use to pick those off and feed them to the ducks! But I'm still gonna pass on the worms.......LOLL!!!!

magandab 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Sometimes I feel like a nut.... but I never feel like a worm. Waiter, there is a worm in my -- um -- worms... never mind.

theoldprof 1 year, 5 months ago said:
As much as I hate the little rotters, I'm still not going to cook or eat even one. I think you just pulled the trigger on my gag reflex.
Thanks,.....but no.
JJ

toleliz 1 year, 5 months ago said:
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE GUYS? They are so big that I think ONE would be plenty to garnish a fried tomato. Have to watch the calories you know!!!!
How do you spell eewwww?

debbie919 1 year, 5 months ago said:
I am SO relieved to read you don't actually eat these! Whew!! LOL...fun post, thanks!

thegoldminer 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Comments are getting better. Guess everyone is figuring out this was for humor, we all need a little each day. Then again, there is that protein value for the food pyramid :-) JJ

fuzzy 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Oh you mean mean man!!!!LOL

wdsdy 1 year, 5 months ago said:
LoL! Love fried green tomatoes --no tomato worms for me, please! btw: The original Whistle Stop Cafe is in Georgia, and their food is delicious!

busmamawilliams 1 year, 5 months ago said:
I'm an adventurous eater but this takes it just one step too far! Funny as heck, though. Thanks for a smile!

fishtrippin 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Looks like fish bait to me. Great post!!

mmmmgood 1 year, 5 months ago said:
So you have to be a master chef to make this? Nothing funny to me since it just made me toss my cookies. My 15 year old said you ought to be brought to the principals office and suspended or do detention for 15 years. Yucky. icky . Gross and uncalled for on a cooking site.

theoldprof 1 year, 5 months ago said:
OK..went back and enlarged the photos. Yup...just like I figured, ugly....close-up ugly. I assume if you're eating one of these guys, you eat'em head first, so the horn don't get stuck. Is that right?? Or maybe eat'em from the middle out. Oh by the way, funny, funny, and I think it's a flat-out hoot....on a cooking site or anywhere else. Thanks for the post. It's so good, I just printed it off to send to my grand-daughters. I'm such a meanie.
JJ

thegoldminer 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Not a meanie at all. Educate them early. Yep it has been a fun post for everyone, well except a rude person who should stay away from my recipes. I will post another educational recipe on just hornworms so those growing tomatoes can have a better crop of tomatoes, of if they prefer, a bigger plate of the those lovely green morsels. to all enjoy, to another, get a life. JJ