Fried Okra

Fried Okra

"Fried Okra" covers a range of treatments.  It can be sauteed unseasoned, it can be battered and deep-fried, or anything in between.  I've never seen it fried whole, but can see no reason why not.  However, usually fried okra is sliced and the stem part discarded.

Fried Okra as a snack food is usually battered.  As a side dish, it's best (in my view) dredged in seasoned cornmeal so that the cornmeal clings but the okra is also visible.

For use in soup or gumbo, frying okra reduces the moisture and gives it a good flavor.  Once fried, it can be stored in refrigerator or freezer and used as needed.  A little bit of okra goes a long way in soup and in gumbo, because okra is famously slimy; without it, gumbo does not have the characteristic gumbo texture.  Okra has a wonderful flavor which, I suspect, is high on the "umami"  ("deliciousness") scale.

To saute:

Slice fresh okra and discard the stems
Add enough oil to a hot pan to coat the bottom
Add the okra
Reduce heat to medium and allow okra to brown slowly
Turn with a spatula and brown the other side

Alternatively, salt and pepper the slices, then dredge in cornmeal before cooking.

I've been told that frozen okra can be thawed, sliced, battered and deep fried and it comes out all right.  Never tried it though.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).