This Shortcut Fried Okra recipe features deep fried, individually-coated pieces of okra in a seasoned flour/cornmeal mixture.
It doesn’t get much more Southern than fried okra. Am I right? Last week I got a hankerin’ for some of the stuff, made some, and sat and ate it until I was about three pieces short of sick. It’s just so dang good! It’s like Southern popcorn or something.
Now, in the South there are basically two ways to do fried okra. And honestly, I love them both; I don’t really have a favorite. This particular method is what I call the “piece” method. It’s where you coat individual pieces of okra in a seasoned flour/cornmeal mixture and deep fry them.
The other method I call the “hash” or “skillet-fried” method. It is where you combine the coating and okra together, and cook it stove-top in a cast iron skillet. That results in a more hash-like finished product. Find the recipe for my Old School Skillet Fried Okra here.
Why is this called Shortcut Fried Okra?
This particular recipe makes some of the best fried okra I’ve ever had with a quick and tasty shortcut. Using a box of Zatarain’s Seasoned Fish-Fri Southern Style is the trick. It saves you a ton of time and expense being that all the spices and flavor is right in the mix. It’s savory and tangy with a touch of lemon and a hint of spice. The mix is great on lots of stuff, but I especially love it on okra. (And no, this isn’t sponsored by Zatarain’s.)
And while coating each piece of okra sounds daunting, it’s really not. My quick and easy method of using a zip-top bag makes it super simple and crazy fast. So, basically you get two shortcuts in this fried okra recipe.
Can I use frozen okra to make fried okra?
I much prefer this made with fresh okra, but in all honesty, frozen cut okra works really well. And a lot of the work is already done for you being that it’s been washed, trimmed, and cut into bite-size pieces. You’ll just need to thaw it completely first.
Regardless of whether you use fresh or frozen, if fried okra is your thing and you like a little spice, you’ve got to try this version. It’s great served with some ranch dressing or a little comeback sauce, but there’s so much flavor here, you’ll probably just want to eat it all by itself.
Other Okra Recipes
Old School Skillet Fried Okra – This Southern classic Old School Skillet Fried Okra recipe is a comforting side dish with that hash-like texture we all grew up loving.
Okra and Green Tomato Fritters – The best parts of fried okra and fried green tomatoes combine in this delicious, yet easy, recipe for Okra and Green Tomato Fritters. I’m yet to find someone who doesn’t love this side dish!
Crispy Roasted Okra – This recipe for okra teamed with a delicious creamy lemon dressing makes for perfectly crispy and not-mushy okra that everyone will love! Dip and enjoy!
Okra and Tomatoes – Okra and Tomatoes is so quick and so easy. It’s just a nice comforting side dish that you can even have year-round with the option to choose frozen okra. Enjoy!
Summer Succotash – This Summer Succotash is the perfect recipe for taking advantage of that summer vegetable bounty. Salty bacon, sweet corn, lima beans, okra, and tart tomatoes combine in a dish that tastes as good as it looks! I’ve included the measurements for frozen vegetables as well, so you can enjoy this dish all year round!
Recipe Card
Shortcut Fried Okra
Ingredients
- 4 cups cut okra (about 1 pound)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 (12-ounce) box Zatarain’s Seasoned Fish-Fri Southern Style
- vegetable oil or peanut oil
Instructions
- Add about 3 inches of oil into a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Heat to 365°F.
- In a large bowl, soak okra in buttermilk for about 10 minutes.
- Add the Fish-Fri to a gallon size zip-top bag. Strain okra from the buttermilk and place it in the bag. Seal the bag and shake to coat it in the breading.
- Working in batches, carefully add breaded okra to the hot oil and cook until golden brown – 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature.
- Remove from oil with spider or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Nutritional information does not include oil that will be absorbed when frying.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Denise
This is genius!! Can’t wait to try it. I use an egg and buttermilk and then coat with some flour, cornmeal, S&P. It is so good! But this is going to be better, I am sure!
Thanks, Denise! Enjoy!
Joyce B
Hi Stacey! I started a garden this year and one of the things that I planted was okra. I tried out your fried okra recipe using fish fry seasoning… OH. MY. GOSH… it was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely be using this recipe again! 😋
Congrats on the garden and the harvest, Joyce! I did 3 raised beds this year and filled one of them with okra. So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Clara Taylor
Made this! Loved the simple shortcut
So glad to hear it turned out great for you!
Debra
Hi. I’m from NJ and moved to South Florida 5 Years ago. I tried this recipe, and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! I’ve always wanted to be a southern girl.
Thank you.
Well if you loved this recipe, you definitely are!
Tammy
Fried I meant sorry
Tammy
Hi I love fries okra I usually soak mine in egg for about 10 minutes then batter them. Is buttermilk better?
Tammy
Fried I meant sorry
I can’t say better, because I’ve never tried it with egg. But I sure do like it with the buttermilk. It helps to cut back on some of the “slime.”
Aileen
I usually make mine similar to your skillet fried method. But this one looks so good and I’m going to want to try this. A mix and some frozen okra? That’s what I like, good and easy!
Two of my favorite words! Hope you’ll enjoy it, Aileen!
Evans
I ran across your recipe via Pinterest, and after reading your introduction I realize that we have almost the same name for our business. Mines is C & E Southern Bites.
I will try the okra receipe with your seasoning suggestion and mines.
Jo Ann Johnson
I have never cooked okra in my life! But I just love it! I have new deep fryer in a box that I have never used…guess I have a use for it now lol. I am going to store in morning to get my ingredients….yum…cant wait! Thank you so much! I love your recipes. Have you ever made hot water cornbread? My grandmother used to make it but shes no longer with us…if you have a recipe–I would certainly appreciate it!Thanks!
HI Jo Ann! This is the PERFECT recipe to use that deep fryer on! It’s one of my favs! And my recipe for Hot Water Cornbread is coming up in the next few weeks! 🙂
Jo Hand
Can this be fixed to bake in oven, to decrease calories ? Thank you !
I’ve never done it that way, Jo. If I’m going to do okra in the oven, I toss it with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and roast it.
Shirley Wachtel
Hi Stacy,
I worked with you at Maxwell, CADRE. Don’t know if you remember me. I would like to purchase some of your cookbooks. What do I need to do? I sure enjoy your recipes.
Thanks and blessings,
Shirley Wachtel
Hi Mrs. Shirley! I absolutely remember you! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes! When it comes to books, the Goat Hill Museum Gift shop in the capitol and Capitol Book and News both have signed copies available. If you need anything else, feel free to shoot me an email!
Lexi
I’m new to the north and not being able to find fresh okra is new to me. I bought frozen okra but I’m wondering if after thawing it I should rinse the slime off before dipping in the buttermilk. Could you spell out the process you would use? Thank you!
There’s not really any need to rinse it, but you can if you’d like. Just thaw it completely and then proceeds as the recipe says. Good luck!
SouthBamaGirl
Thanks for this recipe! My aunt would fry okra using buttermilk and corn flour. My grandmother made the “hash” fried okra. Both are so good.
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Southern Lady
My mother, who is a South Georgia Southern Cook, adds corn starch – about 1/3 the amount of other ingredients she uses for coating anything she fries. So for your 12 ounce box of coating mix add 6 ounces corn starch. It will give it super CRUNCH……. makes fried anything super crunchy.
Great tip! I love adding cornstarch to my fry coating.
Teresa
Hey since you used frozen okra, did you defrost it first?
Yep. You’ll want to defrost it first.
Debbie Strum
I was one of those rare Notherners who was fortunate enough to be introduced to fried okra and enjoy it with just a touch of ranch dressing (and I KNOW your recipe for Ranch Dressing will be GREAT) on it! Do Southerners enjoy ranch dressing on their fried okra or would they be insulted if I ate it this way in front of them?
Debbie -If you’re eatin’ the stuff, I don’t know any Southerner that would be insulted if you eat it with ranch. As a matter of fact, I think it sound’s pretty darn good! I’ll have to give it a try. Anything fried with ranch is pretty good… pickles, french fries, fried green beans, onion rings… ~okay, gotta stop – getting hungry!~
Melba M.
Most people don’t like okra because it is slimey. They won’t try fried okra (okry) for the same reason. My gosh, if they only knew!
I can hardly wait to get some fresh from my garden. I am going to try the fish fry mix although I usually use a meal/flour mixture I dump together. Thanks for the info.
We’ll just let them folks keep on not liking it… that’ll leave more for us! 🙂
Nanee G
Your Okra recipe sounds great, but I wanted to share my recipe with you. It is quite different and comes from my husband’s Grandmother – Mamaw Pauline and our family loves it.
Wash and cut okra into half inch slices. (Approximately 6 to 8 cups)
Wash and dice two medium potatoes and mix with okra.
Pour one and a half cups of corn meal (or a little more for extra crunchiness. (I use White Lily Buttermilk Mix)
one teaspoon of salt
one teaspoon of onion powder
and a half teaspoon of black pepper (or to taste)
Have at least a half inch of hot grease in a medium high hot skillet.
Fry without a lid until golden brown, turning often.
You may have to add a little more oil after turning it the first time.
Sounds delicious! I’ve never had it with the potatoes like that. I can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Betty
I have never fried okra before but want to try this recipe. I love fried okra but have always had it cooked by someone else. Can I use a frying pan instead of a deep fryer and how long would I cook it?
Oooh, fried okra is soooo good! Yes, you can absolutely do it in a pan. Just don’t fill your pan anymore than half way up the side with oil, heat, and fry as the recipe says. Cook until golden brown. Depending on the temp of the oil, it should be 3 to 5 minutes.
Winniemom
This transplanted Northener truly loves okra-fixed most any way. I’ll be trying your suggestion soon. However, my darling husband prefers me to cook it like his mother did. Cut up Okra, get the bacon grease or butter with little EVOO hot and add your okra. Season with Tony Chacheres creol seasing. Turning until browned but not burnt. Excellent!!!
Sounds great! Let me know what you think about this version when you get a chance to try it!
Susan H.
Okra looks good. I love it. Try to not eat too much due to some stomach problems..but I do love it. Nothing better to me than fresh white creamed corn, fried okra, and sliced tomatoes. I buy the frozen already breaded and it’s always good to me. My mother in law used to make more of the hash stuff I guess…she would just coat in corn meal and fry down in pan with not much oil until it was almost burnt looking (and tasting) I don’t like it that way. I prefer the “piece” kind with some flour in the breading and deep frying.
Paula
Oh my word, I would NEVER have thought to use that fish fry mix. Is it corny or floury? Or both?
I so love fried okra and always have. My granny called it okry too 🙂
Did you know, that since I’ve been an Army wife and have moved up north, I have found that some people don’t even know what okra is??? Bless their hearts.
During our four years in Hawaii I had to buy it frozen and already breaded. It was ok, but not like fresh.
Oh, and Melba, my kids want my future grandbabies to call me Big Mama. That’s what my grown kids call me now 🙂 I have been fighting it but now I think I might just embrace it.
It’s a blend of both flour and cornmeal. I think it’s perfect for okra! Yes, bless their hearts. The South just isn’t the South without okra… or, ah… okrey! My great-grandmother was my Bigmama. I think as a general rule of thumb, there only exist very fond memories about anybody’s Bigmama.
dolores parker
I use Old Bay instead of Zatarains. I will have to try that. I mix the Old Bay in with my cornmeal before cooking and after taking out of the hot oil I sprinkle a little Old Bay on the okra.
Sounds delish! I love Old Bay on anything, but never thought about it on okra! YUM!
Denise
Old Bay is a must in our kitchen! 🙂
Tammy
Thanks for this easy recipe!!! I LOVE fried okra!!!
You’re welcome!
Melba
When I was growing up in South Georgia, we always planted Okrey..My Grandmother “Big Mama” could cook the Best Okrey in the World…She put flour in a brown papper bag , cut up the okrey and salt and peppered it..Put the Iron frying pan in the Hot oven with Bacon Grease in it, got the pan really hot, dumped the Okrey in the brown bag with the flour and shook it all up..Then she dumped it into the Hot skillet and cooked it on the stove..Turning it like and Omlette till is was brown on both side….Yam !!!!
Elizabeth McKenzie
Oh yum, Stacey. Just yum. I have to confess that until last week I had NEVER used buttermilk. I will have to try it with the okra this year. I could eat it like popcorn. Seriously. On the couch. Like popcorn. 🙂 I cook mine in the cast iron skillet. I cannot wait to try your recipe! Thanks!
Thanks! I love it the same way too! Just like popcorn! This is soo easy with the Zatarain’s mix too. I think you’ll love it. Great job on the new blog. Can’t wait to see what’s coming next! 🙂
Jackie Garvin
I use buttermilk with my “okrey”, too! I put the okra and buttermilk in a gallon ziplock bag, add cornmeal to the bag and mix well. Then dump it out into a strainer (in the sink, of course) to shake off the excess cornmeal. We all love fried “okrey”. 🙂
I can’t wait for the first batch of fresh okrey. I’ve been craving it for weeks!
Jennifer Gaar
That’s exactly what I was about to post, about the ziplock. I pour the buttermilk over the okra in a bowl and then drain it well in a colander, then put cornmeal in a ziplock, add drained okra. Seal the bag all the way to the edge and insert a drinking straw to blow the bag up. Remove the straw without letting the air escape. Toss the bag around to coat the okra, then back in the colander and toss away extra cornmeal. Voila! Perfect okra! I never heard of using the Zatarains mix. I’ll try it!
The mix gives it SO much flavor! Try it!