How to fry okra
Shallow-fry okra in oil at 375°F (190°C) for about 1½–2½ min per side, until golden brown. Treat the time as a starting point: piece size, batch size and your pot all change it, so watch the color and the oil thermometer rather than the clock.
- Oil temperature
- 375°F (190°C)
- Method
- Shallow fry
- Starting time
- 1½–2½ min per sideButtermilk-dipped, cornmeal-coated okra fried a few pieces at a time in 1 inch of oil.
- Piece size
- sliced okra
- Done when
- golden brown
Numbers from Taste of Home: Southern Fried Okra. Celsius values are rounded.
Getting it right
- Use a wide, heavy skillet with enough oil to come partway up the food, and keep it well below the rim.
- Heat the oil to 375°F (190°C); a clip or instant-read thermometer takes the guessing out of it.
- Pat the food dry before any coating. Water on the surface spits in hot oil and steams the crust soft.
- Lay it in away from you, leaving space between pieces.
- Leave it alone until the underside is set and golden, then turn once with long tongs.
- Drain on a rack rather than paper so the underside stays crisp.
Why the temperature matters: oil that is too cool lets the coating soak up fat before it sets, so the outside goes heavy and pale. Oil that is too hot browns the outside before the middle is ready. The thermometer is how you hold the window between the two.