Just like drinking the last of the summer wine signals the cooler weather to come, cooking up the last of the okra also marks the end of the season.
It is that time of year to clean out what is left of the summer garden, pull weeds, amend the soil, and start planting the fall garden. This weekend I started cleaning out one of our raised beds and picked the last of the okra.
Lots of harvesting—three types of okra and dill from the garden.
Tired of the same old fried okra and pickled variety, I searched for a new recipe and found a keeper: Crispy Okra Strips.
These are better than steak frites!
For something completely different, slice your okra this way.
Crispy Okra Tomato Salad For original recipe, click here.
Canola oil, for frying
1 lb. young okra—halved lengthwise and cut into long, thin strips
Kosher salt
1 1/4 t. garam masala
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
1 medium tomato—cored, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1 cucumber, sliced in strips
1/4 c. coarsely chopped cilantro
2 T. fresh lemon juice
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 350°. Working in batches, fry the okra strips, stirring a few times, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per batch.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried okra to a large paper towel–lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with some of the garam masala and salt.
Crispy strips….seriously delicious!
In a large bowl, gently toss the red onion, tomato, cucumber, cilantro and lemon juice. Season the salad with more of the garam masala and salt.
Salad ready to plate.
Plate tomato/onion salad on individual plates and top with crispy okra.
This made a great dinner.
(Or, you can use this as a French fry replacement.)
Oh my! What a great new way to eat okra. I’m going to get some at the FM tomorrow and make it. Mr. Picky-eater really likes okra and I am sure he will love this one. Thank you for the recipe!
O.K. Now you’ve done it! Between you and my sister I now know that I have to give okra another chance! You’ve made okra look delicious and I bet it does work great on top of that salad and pretty much any salad for that matter! Thanks!
C.J.—
Thank you so much. I totally spaced on my fave author’s birthday. I will definitely have to plan some sort of foodie b-day T.S. Eliot bash next year for the blog. Something to do with peaches, perhaps? I will have to start working on that.
Ahhhh! I can’t show my boyfriend this recipe or he’ll be complaining, “Why didn’t you make this for me”. HAHAHA! Have a wonderful week. The recipe looks ahmazing.
Eliot – a woman sent me an email today and asked if I knew how to make Okra chips like the ones sold at the Crest (grocery store) for $13 a pound! I’ve never seen it in the grocery – I know how to make this because YOU taught me. What she described seemed like this have you seen it over there?
Comments & Replies
18 responses to “The Last of the Okra”
Oh my! What a great new way to eat okra. I’m going to get some at the FM tomorrow and make it. Mr. Picky-eater really likes okra and I am sure he will love this one. Thank you for the recipe!
Good luck with Mr. Picky-eater! I want to try this again next summer with some chipotle powder too!
Aaaah okra such a delicious way to use it!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I loved fried okra but this is a new way to do it! I love the salad.
Try it, you’ll like it!
Can’t believe that I have never tried fried okra!! Looks so good in a salad.
You must try it now!
O.K. Now you’ve done it! Between you and my sister I now know that I have to give okra another chance! You’ve made okra look delicious and I bet it does work great on top of that salad and pretty much any salad for that matter! Thanks!
And don’t forget as a replacement for fries.
Not much of an okra fan but I did want to stop by and share with you that today is T.S. Eliot’s birthday – born 09/26/1888 🙂
C.J.—
Thank you so much. I totally spaced on my fave author’s birthday. I will definitely have to plan some sort of foodie b-day T.S. Eliot bash next year for the blog. Something to do with peaches, perhaps? I will have to start working on that.
This is so cool! I have never thought of frying them! Perhaps I could get my son eat them like this!
Try frying. I know he will like it.
A beautiful and tasty salad! It’s rare to find fresh okra around here, but if I do, this is how I’ll prepare it 🙂
Thanks, Liz. I hope you can find some.
Ahhhh! I can’t show my boyfriend this recipe or he’ll be complaining, “Why didn’t you make this for me”. HAHAHA! Have a wonderful week. The recipe looks ahmazing.
Try it, he’ll love it!!!
Eliot – a woman sent me an email today and asked if I knew how to make Okra chips like the ones sold at the Crest (grocery store) for $13 a pound! I’ve never seen it in the grocery – I know how to make this because YOU taught me. What she described seemed like this have you seen it over there?