For the love of fried okra: A guide to (safely) deep-frying at home

I have a special place in my heart for home cooked fried okra. It kind of makes me swoon. It definitely makes me happy. But how could it not? It ticks all the boxes: crispy, salty, green and even a little naughty.

Honestly though, good fried food makes people happy, and I include all in that assertion, not just Southerners. Everyone everywhere — every culture in the world — loves perfectly seasoned, expertly cooked, just cool enough to pop in your mouth, audibly crunchy morsels of fried meat, fish, fowl or vegetables.

Dredged, battered, breaded or a mix of ingredients spooned into edible wrappers or pressed into patties held together with little more than an egg; you would be hard pressed to find a better start to a meal or to accompany a cold bubbly libation than finely fried finger food.  

When I fix okra the way my mother did, the best way — dusted with a nicely seasoned mix of flour and cornmeal and shallow-fried in a cast iron skillet — then dunk a few bites in plain ketchup, I can literally taste some of my earliest memories. Young enough to still require a booster seat at our family table, I loved fried okra at an early age.

Mom knew how to fry and did not need a candy thermometer, as I do, to tell her when the oil was ready. Temperature is paramount to a good fry. If your oil is not hot enough, your food will be greasy and soggy, and if it is too hot, the inside will be undercooked and the outside burned. 350F-355F is a fairly agreed upon temperature range to aim for, but some go as high as 375F. Use a 4” to 6” deep heavy-bottomed or iron skillet and clip your thermometer to the side if possible for easy monitoring.  

When Mom thought the oil was close, she would flick a little flour into it, and if it sizzled and shimmied just right, she knew it was ready. I know other flour-flickers who have a feel for oil temperature, but that is not something to which I even aspire. Give me a gauge any day — one less thing for me to overthink.

At any rate, when Mom knew the oil was ready, in went the okra, and after only a couple of minutes, those pale and powdery looking sliced rounds were transformed into a gorgeously crackled golden brown. With a large slotted metal spatula, she scooped each crispy piece out and onto a platter lined with paper towels. The first batch never made it to the table. You just cannot stay out of them. When I make them now, my husband and I eat the first batch, as soon as we can touch them, standing at the counter. 

It is important to have paper towels, not just a cooling rack, because they pull the excess grease off, making whatever you fry even more perfect.

And with home frying, even if you are deep-frying, you choose your oil. That, and keeping the temperature well under 400F, your home-fry can be healthier than you might think. Additionally, the less gluten in your dry mix, the less oil will be absorbed.  

There are a few more things that go a long way towards making the best ever fried foods: One, make sure each piece has room: no crowding when frying. Fry in batches, adding more oil as needed. Two, only flip once. Make sure the underside is done before turning. And lastly, if you constantly tinker with what you are cooking, you must refrain when you fry. You will knock off the batter, disturb the edges and basically mess everything up. Leave it all alone until it is time to flip.     

There may be no better way to cook okra than to slice it up and fry it, but as I got older, I discovered plenty more delicious options to add to my enjoyment. I regularly sear it, roast it, grill it and sauté it whole. I am ever experimenting with various seasonings and spices — they never disappoint me and are a great vehicle for a favorite dipping sauce. Simply wash and pat dry and rub with a little olive oil. A few char marks from your chosen cooking method and they are ready. Eat all but the tiny cap at the top.   

Although the flowers are edible, what we pick and eat are the seed pods off these beautiful, humidity-loving okra plants. Originating in Africa, okra travelled the globe by way of ancient trade routes and became a relied upon food source in South Asia and the Middle East before making it to America, where it is a staple crop in the South from April to October. 

Respectably high in nutrients, it is also loaded with fiber, which keeps it on health experts’ recommended foods lists. It is easy to digest, good for your bones, boosts heart health, helps keep your blood sugar in check — and on top of that, it is utterly delicious.  

But there is one little thing: Okra, like marshmallow root and aloe vera, is mucilaginous, meaning it can get slimy when sliced and cooked. In the case of gumbo or succotash, it is a good thing. It acts as a thickener. But it is not such a good thing when you are serving it as a side dish on its own. The key is to avoiding the slime is to keep it dry and cook it quickly. Even though you may wet it during some part of the precooking process — like dipping it in egg before dredging it in flour — it should be dry or only lightly oiled before cooking.