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Slapilicious Fried Okra

I love okra in my Louisiana gumbo, fried in corn meal, or in Indian-style curries. The sticky texture works well for gumbo and stews and if you don’t care for its sliminess, frying it in cornmeal is a wonderful way to enjoy okra. I make my own self-raising cornmeal mixture and use fresh okra instead of frozen. I like to cook it lightly so there is a little snap when you bite into it. I have two secret steps to minimize the coating falling off when frying. Mix a little amount of yellow mustard into your cut okra. Just a thin coating is sufficient. When the surface is tacky, drop it into the cornmeal mixture. Then coat and remove the okra. Let it rest for half an hour or more for the coating to dry. When you cut the okra, be mindful that old okra will be harder to cut than the tender young okra. I discard the old ones as they don’t taste as good as the young tender ones. Always use clean vegetable oil. Fried okra is great as an appetizer with cocktails and is sure to be a conversation starter. It’s a welcome change from bar nuts and pretzels.

  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

Self-raising cornmeal mixture

  • 1 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

Vegetable

  • 1 lb fresh okra sliced (two boxes of 10 oz frozen okra will also work)
  • 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 4 cups canola oil

Finishing spices

Instructions

  1. Rinse sliced okra in cold water. Drain in colander
  2. Put in bowl and mix the yellow mustard into the okra
  3. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
  4. Coat okra evenly with self-raising cornmeal mixture. It should stick since you applied a little coating of yellow mustard. Allow the coated okra to dry for half an hour or more
  5. Heat 4 cups of canola oil in a cast iron skillet or saucepan until 360 degrees
  6. Fry in small batches until golden brown.
  7. Remove with slotted spoon, place on paper towels, and sprinkle with SYD Hot Rub
  8. Serve immediately.

  • Author: Harry Soo
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Vegetable Side
  • Cuisine: American