Roasted Okra

Okra.

Yes, that’s okra period. It deserves its own paragraph so it has a moment to shine on its own. Okra is flavorful, versatile, and incredibly underrated. Those not familiar with okra may think of it as the soggy, freezer-burned fried stuff or the slimy mess. If you’re someone who thinks that, please oh please oh please, I beg you to give these guys another chance.

When I lived in the mountains, okra sold for $11.99 a pound. Yikers! No problem, I’ll grow it. My local horticulturist told me it would be a definite no go due to the short growing season (hello there 5b zone) and the cool summer nights. Fear not, I would figure it out because I wanted to consume beaucoup amounts of it and a little chill in the air would not stop me. Five growing seasons later, with as many failures and methods of growing okra, I moved. Okra became cheap, and my mind ran wild with possibilities.

Roasted okra is delicious. It’s a little crispy, chewy, spicy, and sweet with plenty of depth of flavor. The best part is they are plenty light enough to gorge on.

Some okra will crisp up like a chip, some with be tender and have a crust, others will be a little chewy and more okra. None will be slimy, and the combination of textures and flavors will be leaving you for more and more.

Go ahead and play with the flavors. Your imagination is the limit. Think of what you' will eat okra with and build your flavors around that. If you’re serving okra with duck, maybe season them with nutmeg and orange zest. The more flavor combinations you try, they more you’ll eat okra, and my goal for the world to consume more okra.

These roasted beauties are best eaten straight out of the oven. I don’t recommend eating them leftover. You can mix them all up, cook the amount you’re able to eat in 1 sitting, and store the remaining amount in a Ziploc in the fridge until it’s time to eat them.

Roasted Okra Ingredients
2 pounds of okra
¼ c avocado oil (or other high heat oil)
4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbl Aleppo pepper
1 Tbl garlic powder

Roasted Okra Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice 2 lbs of okra in half longways. Pile them up in the middle of one sheet pan. Drizzle it with 1/4 c of avocado oil. In a small saucer, mix 4 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 Tbl Aleppo pepper, and 1 Tbl garlic powder. Sprinkle all of the seasoning mix on the okra. Use your hands and mix thoroughly.

Spread about 1/3 of the okra on a sheet pan. Don’t worry about what side is up. Make sure the okra aren’t touching each other or they’ll steam instead of roast. No one wants steamed okra.

Roast them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. The smallest of okra should be crispy all the way through and the larger ones should have a little give when you touch them.

Scoop them up on a plate and eat right away. It makes a great pre-dinner snack, especially when the vultures are circling the kitchen.

Notes
I usually roast vegetables at higher temperatures than 400. In the case of okra, I found 400 was the sweet spot, If you go hotter, the small ones get overcooked before the larger ones are still a little slimy. If you use a lower temperature, you don’t get the good browning that makes them so deep and sweet.

Make sure you use small or medium-sized okra. The large ones are too woody.

I baked these straight on the sheet pan. It’s easy to wash the pan and less waste in your trash.