Begin by either heating a deep-fryer to 375°F or about 3 inches of oil in a dutch oven or deep pot on the stove. (Our fryer takes 15 - 20 minutes to heat up.)
peanut oil for frying
While the oil is heating, slice the okra into half-inch pieces. Discard the stems.
1 pound fresh okra
Put the sliced okra in a shallow bowl or dish and cover with buttermilk for 10 - 15 minutes. Stir halfway through, making sure the okra stays submerged in the buttermilk.
1 ½ cups buttermilk
Drain the okra in a colander or strainer, shaking a few times to let the excess buttermilk drip off.
While the okra is draining, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, smoked paprika, pepper, garlic powder, and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning in a large Ziplock bag. Shake it around until well combined.
1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cornmeal, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Dump the buttermilk-soaked okra into the Ziplock bag with the cornmeal/flour mixture.
Now, zip the bag almost all the way closed and insert a straw into the very end.
Blow the bag up, then pull the straw out and zip it shut. Then, shake the heck out of it.
The breading will stick to the okra and whatever is leftover will settle in the bottom of the bag. You can either pour the okra into a bowl or colander or just scoop it out and spread it onto a cookie sheet. (Or just scoop it directly into the fryer in handfuls.)
Fry in small batches trying not to crowd the oil, for 3 - 4 minutes. (In a pot, try to do a handful or two at a time - in a deep fryer, you can cover the bottom of the basket.)
It doesn't take long to fry okra and you want to remove it from the oil when it starts to turn golden. It will continue cooking once it is removed from the oil and you don't want it to burn.
Drain the fried okra on a paper towel, sprinkle with a little bit of salt, then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.