Okra or ochro as it’s passionately known in the Caribbean is quickly becoming one of my favorite ingredients to prepare. Gone are the days when our mom couldn’t even beg us to eat fried okra or okra in general. Steamed, fried, stuffed or in stews.. I love me some okra now. I recall my mom always having okra in her small kitchen garden at the back of our home and it was my duty to pick them for making callaloo on a Sunday. That was my only okra intake as a child.. in callaloo. I still recall getting wet by the dew drops on the leaves of the plant before the morning sun came up and how you had to be careful not to brush too much against the plant or you’d have to deal with itchy skin.
You’ll Need…
1lb okra
4 tablespoon Veg Oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup salted fish *
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
Notes: I used salted cod but you can use your fav type of saltfish. Since the flakes of salted fish will still contain some salt, you may not need to add any salt to the dish. However do taste near the end of cooking and adjust accordingly. Remember when working with scotch bonnet (and any hot pepper) that most of the raw heat is in the seeds and white membrane surrounding the seeds. Discard if you’re concerned about the heat. Cooking okra like this uses a lot of oil, so I used a non stick pan to help cut back on the amount of oil I needed.
Okra is notorious for having a slimy texture and this is what usually turns people off it. This little tip will help you overcome this.. wash and dry the okra with paper towels, then trim off the stems. Cut into 1/4 inch wheels (or any shape you like), then line a cookie sheet with more paper towels or a tea towel and spread the now cut okra onto the cookie sheet. Try to make it one layer, then place in direct sun for a couple hrs to dry off. If you don’t have that wonderful Caribbean sunshine, simply place it in a corner of your kitchen and allow it to air dry for a few hours.
If you’re not sure how to work with salted fish, you must check out this video : How To Prepare Salted Fish Basically you have to place the salted fish in a deep pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Leave for 2-25 minutes on a rolling boil, then drain and rinse off with cool water. Now break apart into flakes or shred. The goal is to remove most of the salt the fish is cured in, rehydrate the fish so it plumps up and to sort of tenderize it a bit.
Heat the oil on a medium heat in a non stick pan and add the shredded salted cod. Reduce to a low heat and allow to cook for about 4-6 minutes. As the pieces of fish starts to crispy up and edges go brown, it’s time to add the sliced onion, scotch bonnet pepper garlic and black pepper. Allow this to cook on a medium heat for a couple minutes. The idea is to create a very flavorful base before we add the sliced okra.
With your heat still on medium, add the now dried okra slices into the pan and give it a good stir. Please don’t cover the pan.. we don’t want to add any moisture to the pan or risk it going slimy.
Here’s where you can personalize the dish. I like my fried okra with a little crunch but the edges must be browned, so I allowed mine to cook for 20 minutes but you can certainly cook longer or less time. After 20 minutes I topped with the tomato (please remove all seeds and liquid before dicing) and gave it a good stir. Basically the tomato is to brighten up the dish, so 2 minutes of cooking and the fried okra should be done. The last couple minutes is when you should taste for salt and adjust accordingly. It’s important to add salt near the end of cooking when working with okra as it will also cause moisture to develop and you really don’t want that.
I could honestly have this for breakfast. lunch or dinner.. give me some brown rice, roti or flour dumplings and I’m cool as a cucumber. This fried okra recipe is a HIT and I’m sure you’ll change your thoughts o okra after you’ve given it a try.
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Thank you for this recipe
Thanks chris for posting this delectable okro receipe, okro is one off my favourite soup.
Chris, I love ochro! I was a very picky eater, but some how okra was and still is my favorite. I live down south now in the US, originally from Guyana, and they make a dish with okra, corn and tomatoes. It is a great vegetarian dish and also you can use ground meat or anyone of your favorite meat. I use some lime or lemon juice, you can even use vinegar and it takes away the slime.
Hat off to you Chris. This this is tasty and nice. This is my first time with a NOT slimy okra.
Keep up the great recipes.
Gracias Chris.
Love you Chris! Finding myself with okra and saltfish in the pantry your recipe was what I needed. Cooked up the saltfish with sliced okra, using Tannisaw’s tip to add a little vinegar to the okra while frying to keep it slime free. Works like a charm. By accident the onion was sliced not diced, and I think it added more visual interest.
The good flavors of the islands put a smile on my face.
Thanks!
Great recipe. Cooked this for me and my two year old…minus the hot pepper. Was quick, easy and very tasty! Will definitley be making this again.
Hi Chris, this okra and salt fish recipe is a must try. Thanks so much,
You have Shrimp fried rice as another suggestion above the comments. It’s a coincidence that I prepared this a couple of days ago, but now you have me drooling for this okro and saltfish. Yummm. Keep up the good work and recipes. How about that okro and rice recipe to follow? I make it with chicken, pork or saltfish. Any thoughts on this? Blessings to you and family.
If you don't have time to dry it, you can use a spoon of vinegar while frying it with onion and oil on high heat. My mom is from Louisianna and this is how they do it. I love Okra and have eaten it my entire life and never knew it was slimy until I ate it somewhere other than home as an adult and it was just a bunch of slime…gross. Anyway, don't use too much vinegar. If you have a huge pot full one cooking spoon will do. keep stirring so it doesn't stick!!
I like your recipes, they are different and interesting
I don't like saltfish or ochro but I will definitely try this dish
I am going to try this ochro receipe very soon. Keep up the good work
I love okra and saltfish….sooooo good. Makes you thirsty but man i love it!!!!
Hated okro until I discovered that it can be fried, so yummy. I do not like the slime so will definitely dry it out in the sun. Will try this as okros are plentiful these days…
I was receiving these pics from my Fb friends. Now I have the opportunity to join, I know I am going to enjoy these tasty dishes. Thanks Chris.