Let me begin with a few disclaimers:
This will be a humility-free post. I feel no need to downplay how awesome my fried okra is, or to be politically correct and say that there are different methods for frying okra. No matter what kind of fried okra you think you like, you’d like mine better. (It’s my mother’s recipe.)
The irony of deep-frying vegetables is not lost on me.
While most of the recipes I post are simple and quick, this one is not. It is time-consuming and creates a mess like no other your kitchen will ever see. But it’s worth it.
Now on to the instructions.
You will need:
Flour. LOTS of it. Don’t start this recipe with only a cup or two of flour in the house. Begin by measuring out three cups, but have backup flour ready.
Okra. As much FRESH okra as you can get your hands on. This is labor-intensive and freezable, so you might as well do as much as you can. And fresh is key.
Eggs. Lots of them. Again, don’t think you can squeak by on three. Better to have a carton of 18 waiting in the fridge. I began by cracking five.
Crisco.
A salt shaker.
Paper towels or clean newspaper.
Recipe Instructions
Wash okra well in a colander. Then slice, discarding the ends.
NOTE: If you come across a piece of okra that is difficult to cut, and feels like wood . . . throw that piece out. It will taste like wood too.
Melt your Crisco in a large skillet or fryer. Just a note – I haven’t used my fryer since the last time I fried okra, which was several years ago. But boy, was I glad I didn’t get rid of it!
Put beaten eggs in a bowl, flour in another bowl, and set up an assembly line that ends in your fryer.
Toss a handful of okra in flour.
Shake off excess flour (and have your 7yo take the picture).
Dip the floured okra in the egg, and then put it back in the flour.
Fry until golden brown.
Then dump onto paper towels or clean newspaper. Salt immediately while still crazy-hot. (I learned this from Emeril.) Repeat the process with a new batch of okra, and when the first batch has cooled slightly, move to your serving container and salt again.
Repeat, over and over and over, sneaking lots of hot, fresh okra . . . . until you’re done.
It’s fabulous as is, but I also like it dipped in parmesan cheese and ketchup.
Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
After you’ve stuffed yourself silly with okra, to the exclusion of all other food groups for your evening meal . . . place all leftover, cooled fried okra in a ziploc bag and freeze. To re-heat, just place it (still frozen) in a single layer on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until you see it start to bubble.
Mmmmm.
And here’s my menu for the week:
Monday – Grilled Chicken and Fried Okra from the Freezer
Tuesday – Chicken Stir-Fry
Wednesday – Spaghetti
Thursday – Homemade meatballs in mushroom gravy over mashed potatoes (I’m planning to use the meatball recipe from Feast in 15)
Friday – Out to Eat
Saturday – Grill out burgers
By the way, I’ve had several people ask about the “hilarious fork” that I showed in my first Decluttering Webisode. You can get one on Amazon here. (That’s my affiliate link.)
I’ll be linking this up to Menu Plan Monday over at Orgjunkie.com, Mouthwatering Mondays at A Southern Fairy Tale, and . . .
It is unreal that you posted this today. Our neighbor who grew a garden said we were welcome to the Okra, Banana Peppers, and Tomatoes. I was ready and willing to take the peppers and the tomatoes but not the Okra because I didn’t know how to bread and fry it. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Nony,
You make me proud of my Southern roots! Wish I were at your house for dinner.
:O)
Yummm. I had okra for the first time yesterday! My pastor made it w/hame hocks, corn and tomatoes.
oops should be ham lol
thanks this worked real well since i didnt have cornmeal..ymmy!
Thanks for sharing! My okra never turned out right and it is something my husband loves, so I will definitely try this.
Yay! It is perfect that you posted this as I just got a CoolDaddy fryer last week and I LOVE IT already. We made golden fried flounder – was as good as Red Lobster’s! which this alone has resulted in the fryer paying for itself as far as I’m concerned, since the only reason I long for Red Lobster’s is for the golden fried flouder and garlic cheddar bay biscuits, the latter of which are easily replicated using Bisquick, garlic powder, shredded cheese and parsley flakes. We also made sweet potato fries (not as good as I’d hoped; apparently it is really difficult to get them crispy without oven-baking them), and fried zucchini (which was awesome!). We’re going to try to make homemade potato chips this week, and now fried okra with your recipe! 😉
And it would seem like getting a deep fryer is a poor decision for someone (by this I mean myself) 🙂 who could stand to lose a few pounds – but the reason I got one is so we could avoid fast food and sit-down restaurants more. If I can make flounder & cheddar bay biscuits at home, then it should save on calories as I can just fry up a couple pieces of fish versus the huge plate of 8-10 that’s usually served at Red Lobster, and just a couple biscuits versus trying to “get my money’s worth” on the free biscuits at the restaurant, haha. 😛 Likewise, plan on making small egg rolls with mostly cabbage and carrots and just a smidge of meat (versus giant pork-stuffed ones from the Chinese take-out place). (And going to avoid learning how to make funnel cake and donuts in the deep-fryer for as long as I can resist the temptation, haha.) 😉
I love that you’re pairing your fried veggies with grilled chicken. 😉 I don’t eat fried okra, but my mom loves it. Poor woman usually has to wait until we eat at a buffet to get it, though. I guess I should send her your recipe!
Made-at-home fried okra? That’s it, I’m going to gain back all of the weight I lost this summer. All two pounds of it (and then some). Yum! Also, I love fried squash. MMMM!
Leftover okra? What a strange concept. I will eat the battered stuff at a restaurant, and love it, but I prefer okra dusted with a bit of flour and a bit more of cornmeal and then panfried. Yum. Lots of salt is definitely key.
I’m going to take your word on how good it is I will make it but I will not try it. I personaly HATE okra but my husband and brothers love it have begged me to make it for our football game get together.
My sweet friend, I love me some fried okra. I have wonderful news for those of y’all on a diet: you can have okra that is not breaded and pan fried and it is just delish. You cut up all the okra and put it in a hot pan with vegetable oil and cook it. It will be very slimy. Cook it past the slimy phase. It will get brown and crispy. Sprinkle it with some Tony’s Cajun seasoning and you will just love it! I love it!