Slice tomatoes and set aside on paper towels to dry. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in one bowl. Combine eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce in another bowl. Combine the remaining flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper, if using, in a third bowl.
Carefully coat each slice of tomato. First, in the flour mixture. Second, in the egg mixture. Finally, in the flour and cornmeal mixture. Place coated tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or paper towels for easy clean-up.
Frying the Tomatoes
Add oil to a cast iron skillet (halfway up the side of the skillet) and bring it to 375º F. Add each tomato slice to the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Remove them from the oil and place on a wire rack and/or paper towels to cool and drain.
Notes
My preference is to slice the tomatoes between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick, but it's completely up to you. Just make sure they are all a consistent thickness so they cook evenly.
Feel free to substitute seasoned salt for regular salt.
Regular paprika will work if you don’t have smoked paprika.
If you don’t like the extra texture that corn meal adds, just substitute it for a little more flour or breadcrumbs.
Whole milk, heavy cream, and coconut milk can all be used instead of buttermilk.
For an easy dipping sauce combine 1/2 cup greek yogurt and/or mayo with 1 tbsp hot sauce and 1 tsp smoked paprika.