Southern Fried Okra is crispy, crunchy, and just a tad peppery. Serve it with your favorite dipping sauce and make it the perfect appetizer or side dish for fish, chicken, and pork.
Crispy Southern Fried Okra
Get the perfect crispy fried okra with a delicious cornmeal coating with this easy-to-follow recipe. Impress your friends and family with this tasty, unique side dish or appetizer. Even though I am not from the South, I love Southern cooking! Who doesn’t? I adore the New Orleans cooking style and am on a mission to add some great recipes to my blog. Maybe I will even start talking with a Southern drawl! This Southern Fried Okra is one of my favorite recipes. It comes together fairly quickly and can be fried in less than one inch of oil. If you like this recipe, try fried zucchini, fried mushrooms, fried green beans, and beer-battered onion rings.
Ingredients for Fried Okra
For the yogurt sauce, you need
For the fried okra, you need
How to Fry Okra
Grab a small bowl and mix the yogurt, jalapeno, lime juice, and cilantro in a nonreactive bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you fry the okra.
First, soak your okra in buttermilk for about 30 minutes. Add your flour, cornmeal, and Cajun seasoning to a large bowl and stir to combine. Heat a little less than one inch of oil in a heavy stockpot, dutch oven, or cast-iron skillet to about 350-375 degrees.
Next, remove the okra from the buttermilk using tongs or a slotted spoon. Shake off any excess and add the okra to the bowl with the flour and cornmeal mixture. Stir well to coat. Using the tongs, remove the okra from the bowl and add to the hot oil. Work in batches and fry until golden brown on the bottom, then flip and fry until the other side is golden brown. Remove to paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
Helpful Tips
- Trim the stem and pointy end off the okra and discard.
- Soak the okra in the buttermilk for at least 30 minutes
- You can easily make your own buttermilk by combining one cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.
- If possible, use self-rising cornmeal, as it produces a slightly more crispy finish.
- When frying, work in small batches.
- Remove the fried okra and put it on paper towels to absorb any residual oil.
- Try other dipping sauces, like comeback sauce, boom boom sauce, and yum yum sauce.
Picking the Best Okra
Look for the smaller pods if you want less slime. The smaller the pod, the younger the pod, which means less slime. Get fresh, bright green okra that is firm to the touch and free from blemishes, mold, and soft spots. Fresh okra has a short shelf life, so plan accordingly. Store in the refrigerator and use within a few days.
Can You Air Fry this?
Place the breaded okra in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spritz with cooking spray. Air-fry at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes, gently shaking the basket after 4-5 minutes. Work in batches if needed.
What to Serve With Fried Okra
Storage and Reheat
Store leftover fried okra in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It will not be as crisp upon reheating as it is best enjoyed promptly. However, you can reheat it in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes (my preferred way) or in the oven at 375 degrees for about 7-8 minutes.
More Appetizer Recipes
Southern Fried Okra with Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno finely minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro finely minced
Fried Okra
- 1/2 lb. fresh okra
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup self rising cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix yogurt, jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro in non reactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
- Trim okra by cutting away and discarding tips and stems. Cut in 1/2 inch thick slices. Soak in buttermilk for 30 minutes. Keep chilled.
- Combine cornmeal, flour and Cajun seasoning in large ziploc bag.
- Working in small batches remove okra from buttermilk with slotted spoon. Add okra to ziploc bag and shake to coat.
- Pour oil in dutch oven or heavy pan to a depth of 1 inch. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Using the tongs remove the okra from the bag and add to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on the bottom then flip and fry until the other side is golden brown; approximately 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve warm with jalapeno yogurt sauce.
Notes
- Trim the stem and pointy end off the okra and discard.
- Soak the okra in the buttermilk for at least 30 minutes
- You can easily make your own buttermilk by combining one cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.
- If possible, use self-rising cornmeal, as it produces a slightly more crispy finish.
- When frying, work in small batches.
- Remove the fried okra to paper towels to absorb any residual oil.
Nutrition
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Rich Zangara
This was deelish! I loved every morsel! Thanks for the recipe!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Rich!
Karletta
I love okra – and this is a fabulous new way to make it. I’ve always eaten it the Mediterranean style. This fried okra is taking its place. Hubby loved it!
Kelly
I love fried okra! It had been years since it enjoyed it. It was fabulous! Crispy with cornmeal is the best way to eat it.
Ivan J
Best fried okra I have had it quite some time. We loved every little morsel. It is so yummy with your comeback sauce.
Beth Pierce
I know it really is delicious with comeback sauce.
Hannah Bures
I am planing on growing okra this year and was wondering different recipes to cook them! My mouth was watering looking at these photos. I can not wait to try this.
Ebony
As a someone who grew up in the South, I know a thing or two about Okra! I tried this recipe and it was sooooo good! I love it breaded with cornmeal!
Beth Pierce
Me too, Ebony!