Crispy Oven Fried Okra

This crispy oven fried okra is crunchy, tasty and super easy! It’s also much healthier and less messy to make than deep fried versions. 

Before COVID struck and closed the hot food counter at my local Walmart, one of my favorite things to do was to buy a brown bag with 1/4 pound of fried okra and eat it as I shopped. The hot food section is open again but the okra didn’t make a comeback. I miss it. 

I hardly ever deep-fry anything because it just breaks my heart to use oil in such quantities and then throw it out. On the rare occasions that I have made southern fried chicken or some other fried treat like my jalapeño corn puffs, I usually strain the oil and save it in the refrigerator (so it doesn’t turn rancid) for at least one more use. Which makes me feel a little bit better. 

I was delighted when our host for this week’s Sunday FunDay event chose okra as our theme because I’ve been wanting to try to make oven fried okra for quite a while. I was pretty pleased by how this turned out. Some of the coating did fall off of the okra but most of it stayed on so I’m calling this one a win. 

Crispy Oven Fried Okra

This recipe is adapted from one on Sing for Your Supper with a few extra ingredients added to the egg for more flavor. 

Ingredients  

14 oz or 400g fresh okra

6 tablespoons cornmeal

6 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

1 egg

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Olive oil spray

Method 

Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C and line a large baking pan with foil or a silicone liner.

Combine the cornmeal and panko, in a gallon-size Ziploc bag.

Trim the ends off of the okra and cut it into short pieces about 1/2 in or 1cm wide.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, flour, mustard and cayenne.

Add the cut okra and stir well until all the pieces are well coated. 

Add the okra a little at a time to the bag and shake until coated. 

Tip the okra out on to the lined baking sheet and then separate the pieces. 

Spray them lightly with the olive oil spray. 

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until crispy, turning the okra halfway through baking and giving them another spray of the olive oil. 

For the last few minutes, turn the oven to broil and watch the okra closely so it browns but doesn’t burn. 

This crispy oven fried okra would make a lovely side dish but I like to eat it by hand straight out of the bowl as a snack! 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and we are all sharing okra recipes! Many thanks to our host Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. 

• Baked Okra Fries from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Begova Corba from Bosnian Chicken Okra Soup from Pandemonium Noshery 
• Bhendi (Okra) Sabzi With Pickle Masala from Sneha’s Recipe 
• Crispy Oven Fried Okra from Food Lust People Love  
• Okra Mexicana from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Nori-wrapped Ginger Soy Steamed Cod

This nori-wrapped Ginger Soy Steamed Cod is marinated with sautéed ginger and garlic, green onions, soy and lemon juice, for a healthy flavorful dish. The roasted nori is a delightful added bonus!

Right after poaching, steaming fish is the most reliable way to cook it to make sure it doesn’t dry out. The trick though is how to make it flavorful as well. No one likes boring fish!

Enter the marinade. A 30-minute rest in some cooked aromatics, oils and lemon works beautifully to add a punch of piquancy while, in the case of this cod, the nori wrap also adds a little saltiness and a most welcome extra hint of the sea. The goal is to complement the cod with the cooked aromatics, not to overwhelm its delicate flavor. 

Nori-wrapped Ginger Soy Steamed Cod

This recipe is adapted from two recipes from Delia’s How to Cook, books 1 and 3. If you don’t know Delia Smith, one of Britain’s great cookery writers, you’ve been missing out. Her recipes are clear, concise and every single one I’ve ever tried has been delicious. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 in or 6cm piece ginger, peeled

1 tablespoon sodium reduced soy sauce

1 rounded tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon canola or other light oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 green onions

1 lemon for zest and juice (about 3 tablespoons)

1.7 lb or 770g cod loin

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 sheets toasted nori seaweed

lettuce leaves for lining steamer 

Optional for garnish: slice red chili peppers and cilantro

Method

Thinly slice the ginger then cut it into fine shreds. Mince the garlic and the green onions. 

Put the oils in a small pan and add the ginger and garlic. Gently cook them over a medium low heat until they are golden being careful not to let them get too dark. 

While the garlic and ginger are cooking, zest and juice the lemon into a small mixing bowl. 

Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ginger and garlic into the small bowl, along with all the oil that is left in the pan. 

Add in the toasted sesame seeds, the soy sauce and the chopped green onions and give the whole thing a good stir. 

Cut the cod loin into four equal pieces and season them lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Put a thin layer of the ginger garlic mixture in a small dish. Add the cod pieces and then top them with the balance of the mixture. Cover and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

 

Cut your sheets of nori in two. Place one piece of cod upside down (so the side with the most aromatics is down) on each half sheet of nori.

Fold the ends over to close. Line a fan steamer with lettuce leaves (to stop the fish from sticking to the steamer) and place the nori-wrapped cod on top, seam side down. Repeat till all four pieces of cod are on the steamer.

In a large pot, heat 2 in or 5 cm of water to boiling. Put the steamer in the pot. 

Cover with a tight fitting lid and steam over the boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145°F or 63°C.

Carefully remove the cod from the steamer and serve hot. Garnish with some sliced red chili peppers and cilantro, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

It’s that time of the month when my Fish Friday Foodies share recipes! This month we are all steaming seafood so make sure to check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories!

• Kerala Style Surmai Fish Cutlets from Sneha's Recipe
• Ligurian Seafood Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Nori-wrapped Ginger Soy Steamed Cod from Food Lust People Love
• Sand Dabs en Papillote from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Steamed Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa from Palatable Pastime
• Steamed Haddock with Brussels Sprouts in Vermouth from Goats and Greens
• Steamed Salmon with Fennel from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Cake #BundtBakers

Rich, tender and oh, so flavorful, this lemon poppy seed ricotta cake is speckled, with seeds but also tiny dots of the soft white ricotta cheese. The tart lemon glaze with the sprinkle of zest and more poppy seeds is a tasty addition. 

As I’ve mentioned before, one of my younger daughter’s favorite baked good combinations is lemon and poppy seeds. Probably because the lemon offsets the sugar in most recipes. And who doesn’t love the subtle crunch of poppy seeds? 

My cake was baked and cooled and I was whisking the glaze when she came into the kitchen yesterday. She sidled over and peered into the glaze bowl. “Are you sure you want to add that?” she asked. I was absolutely positive that I did! One of her tenets is that everyone loves plain things. And while I cannot disagree with that, and this cake would be just as tasty glaze-less, it wouldn’t be as pretty!

My best compliment came after she cut herself a small slice and said, “It’s good. Not too sweet!” 

Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Cake

This recipe is adapted from one on Food 52 which was baked in an 8x8in pan. That’s the same volume as a 6-cup Bundt pan so it fit perfectly in my small Nordic Ware anniversary one. I have to say that I would not hesitate to double this for the 12-cup pan next time. It’s that good!

Ingredients

For the cake batter:

1 cup or 200g granulated sugar

zest from 1 large lemon

1 cup or 240g whole milk ricotta, at room temperature

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon poppy seeds, plus extra to decorate, if desired 

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pan

1-2 teaspoons butter, for greasing the pan

For the lemon glaze:

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup or 125g icing sugar, sifted

pinch fine sea salt

Method 

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 6-cup Bundt pan by buttering and flouring it. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and most of the zest, reserving a little to sprinkle on the glaze for decoration. (I put the spare zest on a paper towel. This dries it just enough to make sprinkling it easier after the cake has baked and cooled.)

Use your fingers (or the back of a rubber spatula) to rub the zest into the sugar until fully incorporated and fragrant. This step smells like sunshine and makes me hopeful that spring and brighter days are coming!

Add the ricotta, lemon juice, oil, and eggs to the bowl and whisk together until blended.

Add the poppy seeds, salt, baking powder and baking soda to the bowl. Whisk again to combine. 

Sift in the flour and then fold it until it is no longer visible.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until it springs back when touched, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Cool the cake in the pan for about 7-10 minutes then turn it out on a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze, place the icing sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Add more of the lemon juice as needed to make glaze of a pouring consistency. If you live in a humid climate like I do, you might not need all the juice. 

Gently pour or drizzle the glaze over the cake. Sprinkle immediately with the extra poppy seeds, if using, and the reserved lemon zest. 

Slice to serve and enjoy!  

It’s the third Thursday of the month so it’s time for my Bundt Bakers to share their favorite recipes with you. This month we are celebrating the impending arrival of spring! Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. 

• Cream Cheese Swirled Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake by Patyco Candy Bar
• Hot Cross Bundt Cakes by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
• Kentucky Butter Bundt Cake by Sneha’s Recipe
• Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Cake by Food Lust People Love
• St. Patrick’s Day Bundt Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Topless Bundts Turned Spring Trifles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

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