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Insanely good Southern fried okra with remoulade sauce
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Southern Fried Okra

Simply delicious chunks of okra dredged in cornmeal and flour batter and fried until golden brown. Crunchy on the outside and airy on the inside for a classic Southern comfort food.
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Southern
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 14 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 369kcal
Author Imma

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (120g) cornmeal (see notes)
  • ¼ cup (30g) flour
  • 1 tablespoon (10g) granulated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon (6g) onion powder
  • ½-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1-2 pounds (450-900g) okra, cut in pieces
  • ¼-½ teaspoon dried thyme (optional)

Remoulade Sauce

  • 1 cup (240ml) mayonnaise
  • teaspoons minced garlic
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 3 tablespoons Creole mustard
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (adjust to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons relish
  • 1 green onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon Creole seasoning (optional)
  • salt to taste

Instructions

Fried Okra

  • Preheat a deep-fryer to 375℉/190℃, or pour the vegetable oil in a large saucepan halfway up.
  • In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, garlic, onion powder, cayenne, thyme, and white pepper.
  • Mix buttermilk and eggs. Add salt to taste, and set aside.
  • Dip okra in the buttermilk mixture and let excess drain back into the bowl. Lightly dredge the okra into the cornmeal flour mixture.
  • Then fry them a few at a time until slightly brown and crispy, 3-4 minutes or more, depending on the size. Remove from the fryer with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie rack to ensure crispness.
  • Repeat with the remaining okra.

Remoulade Sauce

  • Mix all the remoulade sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Keep refrigerated.

Notes

  1. I used a mixture of cornmeal and very little flour batter in this recipe. But you can lightly coat the okra with flour alone,  depending on your preference. The flour mixture ensures that the okra is fully coated and doesn't fall apart during frying - so feel free to switch it up with more flour and less cornmeal. 
  2. I use a cast-iron skillet for frying, but you can use a Dutch oven or a large saucepan.
  3. When selecting okra, choose those fresh, smaller, uniformly green pods. Large okra (3-4 inches long) is usually tougher.
  4. Another way to properly coat the okra is to fill a ziplock bag with the flour mixture, add some okra slices, and shake the bag.
  5. Don't walk away when frying this okra, as it browns quickly, especially when using a cast iron skillet.
  6. Frozen okra works well with this, too!
  7. Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 509mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 838IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 3mg