Southern Fried Okra is easier than you think and not terribly unhealthy as long as you stay away from the deep fryer. Okra is one of my favorite vegetables and takes me back to childhood. We grew up eating it fried and in gumbo.
But okra is not easy to find in Chicago. Last summer after years of searching I finally stumbled across my beloved vegetable at the Green City Market and asked – Why is it so hard to find around here??
Turns out growing okra requires warmer temps and we all know Chicago summers are never guaranteed. And I’m pretty sure there isn’t much demand for this southern vegetable.
Surprisingly, Whole Foods had a bin of fresh okra so I grabbed a few handfuls while I was shopping recently. Not sure whether I should fry or roast, I decided to go for it. Maybe the kids would want to be my taste testers? Isn’t everything better fried??
After posting this photo on Facebook and getting a ton of questions, it only seems fair to share my easy Southern Fried Okra recipe.
It’s standard to use flour and cornmeal in the south, however I was fresh out of corn meal and improvised gluten free panko bread crumbs. It’s really about the texture of the batter that makes the corn meal important.
- 1 pound fresh okra cut in ½ inch pieces
- ½ cup Gluten Free Panko or Corn Meal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- Kosher Salt to taste
- Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- ½ cup milk (or buttermilk)
- Grapeseed Oil for frying
- In a large cast iron skillet, cover the bottom of pan with oil. Do not fill the pan more than halfway up the sides with oil.
- In a medium bowl, combine panko, flour, and spices to taste.
- Dip okra in milk then dredge in flour mixture to coat well.
- Carefully add okra to the hot oil and cook until golden brown. (It may be necessary to fry the okra in batches.)
- Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and then serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Paula Deen.
