I don't find pickled okra slimy.....

That is the reason why I don't eat okra too ynnej. The sliminess turns me off. I tried it again 3 years ago and it just made me shutter chewing it. Not a fan. NancyLouise

My mom loved okra and, for many years, tried to get me to like it too.

Being a stubborn little kid, I'd protest by hoofing it up at the table, whining, hanging upside down from the dining room chair, gagging, etc.
Eventually, I prevailed.

If I remember correctly :) the taste of okra was really not that horrible, but its slime factor was my biggest motivation for testing my mother's patience.

Sol

A delicious (albeit not too healthy) way to deal with the sliminess is to cut it into 1/4 pieces, roll in seasoned cornmeal, and deep fry. Comfort food for Southerners. Yum.

I'm with Arley...not too healthy, but I like am nuts about fried okra. And like Lindac, pickled, too. If you boil it, there will be sliminess, which I despise.

Fresh Market sells dehydrated okra that tastes remarkably good and has no sliminess. We keep it as a snack food. It is also good for when our gluten-free friends drop by.

I also agree with arley. Sliced and fried.

My boy liked to snitch them from my plate this way. He found them to be a treat. The boy who eats hot dogs, pizza, fish, and chicken. UGH! I wish he'd eat more.

I love okra, and the sliminess does not bother me, and so I will also eat it boiled.

Here is one of my favorite okra recipes:

Okra Parmigiana

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds okra
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
2 cups Panko (or other bread crumbs) seasoned with
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
olive oil, for sauteing
2 cups Marinara sauce
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3 oz.), aged 1-1/2 years (or less)

Directions:
Wash and dry the okra, making sure the okra is completely dry. I generally wash it the day before so that it can air dry in the refrigerator. Cut off the tails and stems and cut the okra in half lengthwise.

Beat the eggs with the water, and dip the okra into the egg mixture, and then roll in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Saute in olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat, turning once to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Layer half of the okra in a 9x13x2" pan and cover with 1 cup of Marinara sauce. Add another layer of okra and then the rest of the marinara sauce. Add fried crumbs on top if you have any, and then add the Parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from oven if the cheese starts to get brown at the edges.

*You could probably layer in slices of Mozzarella or Provolone, but I have not done that with this dish. I do not use Parmesan aged two years or more because it is too dry, and sometimes I just use Asiago.

Lars

Okra isn't a vegetable I ever had growing up. First experience was when neighbor grew a LOT in their backyard garden. She sliced, egg, bread crumbs and fried... crunchy, brown and yummy. As they were getting ready to leave on a LONG vacation one summer (4 weeks or so), she told me to pick EVERYTHING that got ripe and eat it or give it away. Picked a lot of tomatoes, cukes, bush beans, etc. She stressed NOT to let okra get really big or it could be tough. Picked a big batch and knew it was WAY more than 2 people would eat, so started exploring cookbooks... before google?!? One source said it forze well, but needed to be blanched first. So I wash, slice and toss into big pot of boiling water for a BRIEF swim. It instantly turned into a pot-o-slime!

Wow! Sounds like my mom wasn't the only one who had a bad experience! Thank you all for your advice.

I don't know the science of it - DCarch could most likely help with that (and I am not being sarcastic). I dearly love okra and will eat it slimy or not. But in the many ways I have cooked or pickled it, I have found that the longer it is cooked, the slimier it will be. IMO, a stew is not the way to cook it if you don't like slimy.

Flash fried is my favorite, albeit least healthy way to eat it. I also enjoy it sauteed with corn and tomatoes.

My grown-kids beg me to pickle it every year.

What arley said, but I oven bake it on an oiled dark cookie sheet. It is crunchy, crisp and not greasy.
I wouldn't touch slimy okra.

I use a cornmeal, flour mixture and add whatever seasonings appeal at the moment. A good shake of Lawry's is typical though.
Also, after slicing the okra and dredging, let it sit for 20 minutes or so. The "slime" will leak out and help the coating adhere better.

I grew up eating okra in a stew, mainly with chicken. It's a staple Greek family-style meal. I've since learned to dredge in cornmeal and fry it, southern style. And I've got a favorite recipe for smothered okra, cooked in a bacony tomato sauce.

The slime doesn't bother me, and I agree with donna-loomis. If the okra is cooked with liquid, the longer it is cooked, the more slime there will be. A couple of things I've learned when making either the southern style smothered okra or the Greek style okra stew is to keep stirring to a minimum once the okra is in the liquid. And don't over cook it. Once it's tender, take it off the heat.

I tried the vinegar technique once but didn't see any difference. Not worth the trouble.

If you look at the blackened catfish dish I posted on the "Mardi Gras recipes" thread, you may notice I have done the following:

I like the texture of the "sliminess" of okra, but I played with the idea of reducing that mouth feel if I have to invite others.

In that dish, I cut the okra in halves length-wise and removed the seeds. The okra was blanched then the water was discarded. When cooked with other ingredients, the okra body, without the seeds, did not have a lot of slime.

You will see I used the seeds in the sauce. The gravy masked the slime feel significantly. I called that okra caviar sauce. :-)

I will have to work on that concept further.

dcarch

try steaming the whole small pods of okra, i make veg. soup ,use okra near the end ,put tabsoon, vinegar in it no slime,
dont cook too long.

Dcarch, I thought that's what the "caviar" was! What a neat trick. Thanks again everybody for your input.

I fry a couple slices of bacon and remove the bacon from the skillet and add chopped onions and fresh sliced okra. When it browns slightly, I add chopped tomatoes. Sometimes I use Rotel, sometimes I use chopped tomatoes with basil, garlic, and sweet peppers. Just before serving, I add chopped bacon back in and spoon everything over cooked rice.

Some people say you have to blanch okra before freezing, but I don't. I wash it, let it dry, and put the whole pods in a freezer bag. When I am ready to use, I let it stand at room temperature for a short time, but slice it while it is still partial frozen.

A video from Chow Tips about okra

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Keep Okra from Getting Slimy

I love Indian style okra stir fries. Really cuts down on the sliminess. I like it both mild with simple seasoning of a bit of mustard seeds and a bit of grated unsweetened coconut or spicy with cumin, coriander powder etc. the spices and the oil remove the sliminess. One trick I have seen is to wash okra, wipe dry, cut okra and then let air dry for a couple of hours. Using a spoonful of some kind of starch sprinkled on ... soaks up the sliminess.. I have used corn starch, lentil flour, die flour.

Lalitha

I was watching a cooking show earlier-Sara Moulton. She said to reduce the slime in okra, cover it in cold water & swirl it around well. Drain the water, cover in warm water with a splash of lime juice.