Low Carb Fried Okra Sticks? What? Yes, and they are not only good they can also be extremely functional. This isn’t so much a recipe as a how to do it. The secret to these is to get them just this side of burned and I mean dark, dark. They are of course good anyway but the darker the better as they get very crispy and can be used to scoop things like Baba Ganoush or Caramelized Onion Dip or… you can eat them like french fries.
Several months ago I visited my brother and sister-in-law on their farm in VA and as you could imagine they have a HUGE garden. One of the things they grow is okra. Not the stubby ones you might (if you are lucky) see in a grocery, but big long, both green and purple ones-some 5-6 inches long. Wendy then proceeded to cut them in the traditional 1″ rounds and fried them in olive oil (just for me). She didn’t just saute them-she fried them until they were blackened and super crispy. She fried tons of ’em and I ate ’em all. No salt, no pepper, just plain. I was on the phone with her a couple of weeks ago and she suggested I try cutting them lengthwise. Being the skeptic I am, I scoffed at the idea and then bit the bullet and tried it. Well, this is the result.
Most people think of okra as slimy and indeed they can be but fixed in this fashion they are anything but. Now unless you shop the farmers markets these puppies are hard to find fresh and I am using the whole frozen stubby green ones. As you can see from the picture I fried them in very shallow olive oil and had to turn them several times but the next time I am going to deep fry them in tallow. Now doesn’t that sound good? If you look at the blown up picture on the stove don’t pay attention to the spattered olive oil, it’s only a figment of your imagination. Hint: No it isn’t and that’s why I will be trying to deep fry them the next time.
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- 1 Lb Frozen Whole Okra (Fresh Is Always Best)
- ¼ C Olive Oil (Can Of Course Use Tallow Or Lard)
- Barely cut the heads off okra and slice down center lengthwise.
- Heat oil in large saute pan, lay okra cut side down and fry until very, and I mean very dark brown. They should actually look burned but they won't be.
- Turn and repeat.
- You will have to then repeat frying process as they will not all fit at one time.
- 4 Servings
- 65 Calories, 2.2g Protein, 2.9g Fat, 8.0g Carbs, 1.7gFiber, 6.3g Net Carbs
- I have only included 1 T of olive oil in the nutritionals because almost none of it will be absorbed.
- If using frozen cut okra and I do, it is really good sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.