It’s impossible to talk about okra without mentioning its slime. Some people can’t get enough of the stickiness. Other don’t want anything to do with it. I tolerate it. I like the refreshing and earthy taste of okra, especially when it’s fresh from the market. But honestly, it’s not my favorite. So why the heck am I sharing an okra recipe?

Well, because this is the dish that changed my mind. It bumped okra to the top of my vegetable chart, up there with broccoli and beet.

I was used to having okra either boiled on its own or added to stews and soups. In either case, the vegetable is limp and dull. You don’t really taste anything besides its stickiness.

Okra gets a total makeover in these fritters. On the outside, it’s golden and crispy. It’s still a bit sticky in the middle, but the texture serves as a nice contrast. The batter also uses some buttermilk, which makes these fritters moist and tangy.

This recipe uses okra’s stickiness to its advantage. Fritters usually require quite a bit of flour and eggs to bind everything together. Because of okra’s texture, these fritters sort of bind themselves. You will see that the patties form very easily. You won’t have to worry about bits of pieces falling apart.

I liked to fry these up as an afternoon snack. You can make them as finger food for a party. I am sure your guests will ask you what these are made of. Trust me, they won’t believe this is okra.