I think it's always worth looking at a few different dictionary definitions of a word.
The Google (Oxford) definition is "cook (food) in hot fat or oil, typically in a shallow pan." but Merriam Webster say "to cook in a pan or on a griddle over heat ESPECIALLY with the use of fat". Personally I would use this second definition. For me frying doesn't always involve fat (oil, butter, etc) BUT describes the method of cooking where something is cooked on a flat surface (usually metal) with heat from underneath. Therefore, I would say "fried tomatoes" in the example you provided.
HOWEVER, there are some strange exceptions which are related to the cooking process, but hard to describe. For example, if we put an egg in a shallow pan with heat underneath with fat then that is frying, if we use water instead of oil it is poaching, but if we use those eggs to make an omelette then we don't usually say either 'fry' or 'poach' (we say 'make' or 'cook')! :-)