Fried Okra – simply delicious chunks of okra dredged with cornmeal and flour batter and fried until golden brown. Crunchy on the outside and airy on the inside.
Hailed as the “southern popcorn”, these fried nuggets won’t let you stop popping one chunk after another once you get started. An addictive kind of veggie snacks!
I grew up hating okra but it has evolved as I got older. Like most of the kids, I was one of those kids who set aside my okra during a meal and only eat them halfheartedly a parent is on the lookout.
Then came this Fried Okra. I must confess; I ate the first batch of fried okra for this blog post, only to find out that I still need those for another angle shot.
What can I say? All in a day’s work
But now, I am loving almost every dish with okra. Okra can be found in a lot of Southern and African recipes, often used as a thickening agent in hearty gumbos like this popular post Chicken Shrimp and Okra Gumbo.
Let me tell you this gumbo flies off the table – just in case you haven’t tried it yet
Nobody seems to be bothered at all with the presence of okra.
There’s so much to love with this okra dish. It’s pretty darn simple, minimizes slim and yet it is delicious. This could even convert any okra hater. You’ll just slice the okra in chunks, coat them with cornmeal, flour, and spices then toss them in a skillet and fried to perfection.
You can even have this as healthy alternative snacks as it is rich in dietary fiber. If you’ve been eating pizzas and burgers lately, then try this Fried Okra for an ” almost” guilt-free snack time.
For the best okra experience, pair it up with this homemade remoulade sauce that is sure to awaken all your senses. 😉
So pick up some okra now at your local farmer’s market place, before the season is over and fall in love with this insanely easy, delicious, and healthy pop. If you miss, no worries frozen works as well.
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Here are two more okra dishes to get you going if fried is not your thing; this Creole Chicken Okra
her is another favorite comes together quickly too!
Oh, don’t forget this Okro Soup, in some parts of Africa okra is also known as okro.
ENJOY!
How To Make Fried Okra
Watch How To Make It
Fried Okra
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cornmeal (see notes 1)
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 -1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon white or black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1-2 pound okra cut in pieces
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme optional
Remoulade Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons creole mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoons relish
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
Fried Okra
- Preheat a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F or In a large sauce pan pour vegetable oil half way.
- In a large bowl mix together, cornmeal, flour, garlic , onion powder, cayenne, thyme, white pepper.
- Mix buttermilk and eggs. Add salt to taste. Set aside
- Dip okra in buttermilk mixture and lightly deep into the cornmeal-flour mixture.
- Then fry then fry okra a few at at a time. Fry until slightly brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes or more depending on the size. Remove from the fryer with a slotted spoon place on a cookie rack to ensure crispness.
- Repeat with the remaining okra.
Remoulade Sauce
- Mix all the ingredients above for the remoulade sauce in a medium bowl. Keep refrigerated.
Tips & Notes:
- In this recipe, I used a mixture of cornmeal and very little flour batter. But you can actually lightly coat the okra with flour alone, depending on your preference. The flour mixture ensures that the okra is fully coated and would not fall apart during frying - so feel free to switch it up with more flour and less cornmeal.
- I use a cast-iron skillet for frying, but you can use a Dutch oven or a large saucepan.
- When selecting okra, choose those fresh smaller pods that are uniformly green. Large okra (about 3-4 inches in length) usually tends to be tougher.
- To properly coat the okra, you may use a ziplock bag and work your way there.
- Don’t walk away when frying this okra as it browns easily especially when using a cast iron skillet.
- Frozen okra works well with this too!
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
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