Southern. Fried. Okra.
Dalton Jones, Private Chef, Durango, CO
Dalton (@daltycooks) is now a private chef in Durango. Prior to moving to Durango, he was an executive chef in Denver and he also spent nearly three years at Husk in Nashville where he worked as a butcher and sous chef. Before working in restaurants, Dalton was actually working as a paramedic in New Mexico. So besides saving your life, he knows a thing or two about delicious food.
I was taught how to make fried okra by my father, who learned from his mother. The seasonings can change, but the method remains the same; and it could not be simpler.
You’ve probably had fried okra before, and it probably had a thick breading. If you’re particularly unlucky, it was still gummy on the inside. This method does not involve a batter, and does not involve deep frying. Therefore, it is not only more delicious, but actually easier to make.
If worse comes to worse and all you can find is frozen stuff, dump the okra out of the bag into a strainer/colander and allow it to defrost completely. This allows the excess moisture to drain off. Once thawed, treat the process exactly the same, accept cook at a slightly lower temperature for a couple minutes longer. This will slightly dry out the okra and help to keep the end result from becoming too mushy.
- Dalton Jones
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound okra
1 egg
1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
You may need a little more
Old bay, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/8 cup oil
Something with a high smoke point (grapeseed, avocado, canola, peanut, etc)
Method:
Cut off and discard the tops from the okra. Leaving on the pointy end is fine. Slice okra in 1/4” rounds.
Place okra in a bowl and season with Old Bay. I like to add a pinch of salt so that the spices in the old bay don’t become too overwhelming before it is salty enough. You will also want some extra salt since we are adding egg and cornmeal to the okra, which will temper the seasoning.
Crack the whole egg over the okra, and toss together with a spatula to coat.
Begin adding cornmeal to the bowl. Add some, toss, add some more. Do this until the cornmeal just stops sticking to the okra.
Add enough oil to your skillet to coat the bottom by about 1/16 of an inch. Heat on medium for a few minutes or two. When the oil begins to shimmer, drop a pinch of cornmeal in the pan. It should bubble aggressively, but not burn immediately.
When cooking, don’t overcrowd the pan. You may need to do this in two batches! Use a coarse strainer or spider to transfer the okra from the bowl to the skillet. This will allow the excess cornmeal to stay behind. Fry until amber brown and tender. Season with a pinch of salt and transfer to a place lined with paper towels. It’s okay if some cornmeal comes off – it’s one of the most delicious parts of this dish!
Serve hot on a plate with your other Southern foods, or just eat it on it’s own. It goes really good with the lemon basil mayo we made for the tomato sandwich, or ranch dressing. Or maybe you’re a ketchup person.
Souther Fried Okra
Ingredients
- 1 pound okra
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal. You may need a little more.
- Old bay, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- 1/8 cup oil. Something with a high smoke point (grapeseed, avocado, canola, peanut, etc).
Instructions
- Cut off and discard the tops from the okra. Leaving on the pointy end is fine. Slice okra in 1/4” rounds.
- Place okra in a bowl and season with Old Bay. I like to add a pinch of salt so that the spices in the old bay don’t become too overwhelming before it is salty enough. You will also want some extra salt since we are adding egg and cornmeal to the okra, which will temper the seasoning.
- Crack the whole egg over the okra, and toss together with a spatula to coat.
- Begin adding cornmeal to the bowl. Add some, toss, add some more. Do this until the cornmeal just stops sticking to the okra.
- Add enough oil to your skillet to coat the bottom by about 1/16 of an inch. Heat on medium for a few minutes or two. When the oil begins to shimmer, drop a pinch of cornmeal in the pan. It should bubble aggressively, but not burn immediately.
- When cooking, don’t overcrowd the pan. You may need to do this in two batches! Use a coarse strainer or spider to transfer the okra from the bowl to the skillet. This will allow the excess cornmeal to stay behind. Fry until amber brown and tender. Season with a pinch of salt and transfer to a place lined with paper towels. It’s okay if some cornmeal comes off – it’s one of the most delicious parts of this dish!
- Serve hot on a plate with your other Southern foods, or just eat it on it’s own. It goes really good with the lemon basil mayo we made for the tomato sandwich, or ranch dressing. Or maybe you’re a ketchup person.
Notes
Check out lanyapcookery.com for more chef recipes and on-demand cooking classes!