When I’m looking to serve up some traditional Southern recipes, I make Hoppin’ John, Southern cornbread dressing, fried cabbage and this ultra crispy fried okra.
Fried Okra Ingredients
To make fried okra you will need okra, buttermilk, flour, cornmeal, salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, vegetable oil and parsley. Fried okra is one of my favorite fried appetizer recipes along with fried pickles, fried zucchini and fried shrimp.
How Do You Make Fried Okra?
The first step to make fried okra is to prepare the okra by cutting off the stem ends and slicing it up. Next toss the sliced okra in a bowl of buttermilk until the slices are completely coated. The buttermilk coated slices get dredged in a bowl of flour, yellow cornmeal, salt and spices. Batches of the okra slices go into hot oil for a few minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Set the cooked okra on paper towels to drain. Serve them hot and add a sprinkle of parsley for garnish.
Tips For The Perfect Fried Okra
Be sure to stir the okra occasionally as it fries to make sure that the okra cooks evenly and doesn’t stick together. Look for similar sized okra pods so that all the okra slices take about the same time to cook. I use okra pods that are about 3 inches long. Use a spider skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the cooked okra while letting the oil drain. Be sure to use a frying thermometer to make sure that your oil is at the correct temperature. If the oil is too hot, the okra can burn. If it’s too cold, the okra will absorb excess grease and have a heavy texture.
Fried Okra Variations
This recipe makes delicious, crispy fried okra, however you can change the flavor to suit your own taste.
Spicy: If you want spicier okra, add some cayenne pepper to the flour mixture. Cajun: For a Cajun style flavor mix some of my Cajun seasoning into the flour. Mexican: For a Mexican flavor stir in some taco seasoning into the flour. Sauce: Try some great dipping sauces like homemade BBQ sauce, fry sauce or homemade ranch dip!
Fried okra is a delicious Southern dish that is great as a side dish or as an appetizer. Once you try it, you won’t be able to stop eating it!
