Good crunchy fried okra, anyone?

Not having had time to fire up the smoker/s today, I did a quick dinner which included a batch of fried okra, cut fresh from the stems earlier this morning. I changed the way I did it a little, and it sure did turn out tasty.

After I slice it up I always soak it in milk to pull out some of the slime so that I can get maximum crunch. I added a couple of glugs of Cajun Power Garlic Sauce to the milk and okra, and a few shots of Chipotle Tabasco for good measure, and let it sit for 30 - 45 minutes as usual. Then drained it in a strainer over the sink for about 15 minutes then, spread the wet okra out in a single layer in a sheet pan, and sprinkled it lightly with Joe Ames' Rotisserie chicken seasoning. Dumped it back into a ziplock bag with about a cup and a half of cornmeal, shook it well to cover the pieces well, and let it sit till my oil was up to about 375. Shook the okra in the bag around again, and dumped the contents onto a cake rack set over the same sheet pan, to let the excess cornmeal fall away. Fried it up in about 2 inches of oil till nice and brown, drained it well in a strainer, and then sprinkled with the Rotiss seasoning again. I think that's some of the tastiest okra I've ever done.

Just thought I'd share that with ya'll who might not be familiar with the finer points of good fried okra.

Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time (ribs, chicken, and chorizo tomorrow)

Oh keri, Thanks for the info...it sounds sooooo good...as a matter of fact I had a craving for some good fried okra the other day...another favorite of mine is fried pickels....do you make those? I'm looking for a good recipe.

Fried is the only way I have ever been able to tolerate okra. I don't even add okra (I know it's sacrilege) to gumbo.

You recipe sure sounds good though. I'd never heard of soaking it in milk to reduce the "slime". I'll have to give it a try again.

Chet, I fried the okra and we had dinner about 6:30 or so - it's now 10:00 pm here, and the leftover okra is still crunchy. Don't feel bad about not putting it in gumbo, though - I won't eat it any other way either. I don't do ANYTHING with okra except fry it. Can't deal with the slime. And soggy fried okra? Blech I have no idea where I picked up the idea to soak the okra in milk, but I've been doing it for years. I think it was something my grandma taught me, seems like. All I know is that when I'll take the time to soak it and let it drain well, it is ALWAYS very crunchy with no evidence of "slime" a'tall. Caution - when it's draining in the strainer in the sink, the milk draining from it will bear a strong resemblence to... well... it'll look like the okra is having severe sinus drainage, if you get my drift. Don't get freaked out.

Anthony, here are a couple of fried pickle recipes for you.

Keri C

Thanks Keri...Got it...can't wait to try them....

Keri, I have read several of your post on here and the forum and must admit you sound like one great cook. The post hits home with me in two ways. Fried okra is reminds me of my Mothers cooking. Second, I live in Slidell, La and you have just tempted me to try a new sauce that is practically in my own back yard. Thanks for sharing the recipe. My wife and kids will not touch okra, but my parents will sure like to try this. Thanks, SkipG

Keri - thanks for sharing the recipe. I will have to try your version. One of my favorites is okra, corn and tomatoes. My grandmother used to cook whole baby okra on top of green beans. Living in the south all my life, I guess the 'slime' is an acquired taste.

Keri, as always, your recipes make me want to race back to the kitchen.

Funny too, because the NYTimes just had an article about okra in their wednesday dining section, but their recipes didn't look near as good.