# Grits was good - now on to fried okra **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163 "2004-09-20T18:23:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/1 "2004-09-20T18:23:41Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=275056&highlight=grits) thread I noted how I was recently hooked on grits and was about to try cooking them at home. I did, using stone ground long-cooking white grits, and I love the results. I like 'em the way you southerners say they should be eaten: with butter, salt and pepper. They were best with a side of sausage patty. Well, now that I’m getting into southern cooking I must try my hand at some fried okra. This was prompted by my buying a pound or two of gorgeous fresh okra at the farmers’ market, so I must cook it up in the next day or two. Googling shows me numberless okra recipes, but I trust no one more than Dopers when I ask for cooking advice. So, Dopers - fried okra? Have at me. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/2 "2004-09-20T18:43:47Z")
OK according to my mama… > [@](#): > > Take a cup of good corn meal and add in “a couple or three tablespoons” of flour and a pinch of salt. Mix together and then lightly dredge the sliced okra through the mixture. You get a very thin coating on the outside of the okra (we don’t like the thick coat - it gets too greasy). Get your oil hot (about 1/2 cup) in a cast iron skillet and add a good layer of okra. Turn down the heat but watch the okra. Let it set about 2 minutes and carefully turn the okra over. Cook until the new side gets crispy. Try not to turn too often. Hope that’s understandable. Basically sift cornmeal and flour over clean, sliced okra and then saute until golden and crispy. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/3 "2004-09-20T18:53:01Z")
That sounds about right to me. I don’t like grits, but fried okra is mighty tasty. Soon you’ll be moving up to turnip greens, baked apples, and chess pie! ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/4 "2004-09-20T20:08:42Z")
I LOVE fried okra, but beware… it can get a bit slimy on the inside. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/5 "2004-09-20T20:37:20Z")
“A bit slimy?” Bit of an understatement. Fried is the only way I eat okra outside of a tomato and rice-heavy gumbo. There wasn’t a week that went by in childhood (it seems) that I wasn’t forced to eat the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/6 "2004-09-20T22:01:00Z")
Fried is the only way I’ve ever eaten okra that _wasn’t_ slimy. And if you’re gonna introduce someone to okra, it’s a pretty darn good way… provided they’re not averse to fried foods. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/7 "2004-09-20T23:03:04Z")
When you’re cleaning and cutting up the okra … Clean the okra, and then dry it very well (I use paper towels) before cutting. If you try to slice wet okra, you end up with a gummy mess. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/8 "2004-09-21T00:03:24Z")
Fried green tomatoes. Slice them thick, dredge them in cornmeal and salt and pepper, and fry those babies until golden brown. You guys are making me hungry. Have you tried shrimp and grits? That’s a Lowcountry delicacy. And don’t even get me started on she-crab soup… ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/9 "2004-09-21T00:16:59Z")
I prefer the cornmeal coated okra fried in a skillet to the battered/deepfried variety. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/10 "2004-09-21T01:20:54Z")
I don’t care at all for fried okra – frying seems to change the taste in unhelpful ways – but I really like mild pickled okras. And they are not in any way slimy. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/11 "2004-09-21T01:59:04Z")
Avoid fried okra… it’s the Southern equivalent of Montezuma’s Revenge. Gah, I hate that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/12 "2004-09-21T02:03:31Z")
I am not a big fan of Southern food and have until recently scorned okra (unless in gumbo where they are needed to thicken). I spent too many summers picking it. It has hairs like fibreglass that stick into and irritate your skin. And fire ants just love the blossoms – they protect the damned plant. That being said, I have discovered a wonderful way to cook the pods of the devil – you marinate them in olive oil, garlic, and vinegar and grill them. Really nice. They aren’t slimy and the fire burns off the cillia. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/13 "2004-09-21T02:06:32Z")
Blasphemy against fried okra! Why you all gotta be so hatin’? Whenever I get to go back home, there are three things I insist on eating: 1) Varsity chili dogs and onion rings, 2) a Chick-fil-a, and 3) fried okra. (Not all at the same time, of course). And I don’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence, but I _have_ seen people try to serve “fried okra” that was basically the whole pod/plant/whatever you call it, dipped in cornmeal. You’ve got to chop it up into little circles about the size of peppermints. Any larger than that, and you’re in danger of actually tasting the okra instead of just the sense of “something barely identifiable as vegetable, that’s been deep-fried.” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/14 "2004-09-21T02:08:59Z")
I’d only ever used okra experimentally in stir-frys before now. And I seemed to be the only person in the world who liked it. I’m intrigued by this frying concept, and will try it, as soon as I find any damn place that doesn’t have an ‘ethnic’ food section consisting of ginger and two chillis :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/15 "2004-09-21T08:43:18Z")
> [@pugluvr](#): > > In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=275056&highlight=grits) thread I noted how I was recently hooked on grits and was about to try cooking them at home. I did, using stone ground long-cooking white grits, and I love the results. I like 'em the way you southerners say they should be eaten: with butter, salt and pepper. They were best with a side of sausage patty. > > Well, now that I’m getting into southern cooking I must try my hand at some fried okra. This was prompted by my buying a pound or two of gorgeous fresh okra at the farmers’ market, so I must cook it up in the next day or two. Googling shows me numberless okra recipes, but I trust no one more than Dopers when I ask for cooking advice. > > So, Dopers - fried okra? Have at me. Do it tempura style!! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/16 "2004-09-21T13:51:07Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Do it tempura style!! Oh HELL no. Do not under any circumstances batter okra. That is an unforgiveable sin. It almost completely masks the flavor. **DeVena** ’s mama knows the proper way to cook okra. Follow those directions. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/17 "2004-09-21T14:53:06Z")
Yep. Cut 'em into skinny little disks, roll 'em in corn meal, and fry 'em in hot oil. Dip them out onto paper towels to soak up surface oil. Don’t batter 'em. They should be softer than a potato chip but not slimy. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/18 "2004-09-21T16:28:21Z")
True you have to cut em into skinny little disks and most folks like cornmeal. The oil must be hot. swampbear’s version two to three pounds of fried okra 1 small sweet onion finely chopped 1 medium sized green tomato finely chopped 1 or 2 pods of banana pepper, seeded and finely chopped salt and pepper flour to batter (about 3/4 cup) enough oil (corn oil is best IMHO) to coat the bottom of the skillet (an electric skillet set to 325 degrees is good) Cut up okra. Mix okra, onion, tomato and pepper together. Salt and pepper to taste. Place flour in a gallon sized baggie. Add the okra mixture. Shake it up. Add okra mixture to oil a little at a time and allow to brown. Do this in small batches. It may be necessary to add and heat some oil between batches but it’s worth it. I gotta have some fried okra now! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/19 "2004-09-21T16:52:14Z")
Okra…gumbo…mmmmm [sorry for the hijack, **pugluvr**] I’ve asked before, but does anyone have a recipe for Dirty Rice? It’s rice, eggplant, ground beef (or sausage, I ca’t remember) onions, and a bunch of other goodness. My grandmother used to make it all the time, and told me it was Cajun (I’m not sure I buy that… Southern maybe, Cajun, doesn’t seem to fit.) Being an Italian grandmother, she never wrote any recipes down, and being 15 at the time, I didn’t pay attention when she taught me how to make it. I’ve been craving Dirty Rice for quite some time, and none of the recipes I found on the web seem to come close. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163/20 "2004-09-21T17:03:26Z")
I will second the recommendation of pickled okra. I never tried okra pickles until adulthood. Nobody I knew in north Georgia made them. (Is there a region where these are standard fare?) Anyhow, at the urging of a friend from Florida, I finally gave them a shot. Really yummy. Surprisingly crunchy, too. I think I will never go back to pickled cucumbers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grits-was-good-now-on-to-fried-okra/265163.md?page=2)