This Summer, we grew our first ever okra plants. They were prolific. 2nd Man has never had them and always equated them to slimy. I wanted to introduce him to a true Southern staple, fried okra.
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| Okra |
We started with a basket of okra.
Not sure how much, probably a pound or so.
I washed them, dried them well, and then sliced them into bite sized pieces.
Next is the coating.
1/2 cup of cornmeal, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Again, these measurements are to taste, more or less, depending on how much okra you need to coat. You could even add a bit of red pepper for heat.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. What is that in the middle? I added a dollop of bacon grease. I mean, come on, that makes everything better, am I right?
But of course, that's optional...Southern, but optional.
Put the sliced okra in a paper bag or even a bowl. Trust me when I say the bag is much more fun and involves no cleanup.
Pour the dry ingredients in, close the bag, and shake your problems and/or stress away. See, I said it was fun!
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| Cast iron skillet with fried okra |
Remove from bag with a slotted spoon and drop the coated okra into hot oil. It will cook quickly, so just fry until it looks crispy and starts to brown a bit.
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| Southern Fried Okra |
Like this. I sprinkled a bit more salt on after putting it on a paper towel to drain...and then dished it up into a bowl to give to 2nd Man.
...and here is his bowl afterward. He loved it! His exact words were "are we going to grow more next Summer?"
YES!
