Limpin' Susan
intro
A smoky, savory Lowcountry rice dish studded with crisp bacon, tender okra, and aromatic veggies — a lighter, summer-friendly cousin to iconic Hoppin' John.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep all ingredients
First, rinse 1 cup long-grain white rice under cold running water until the water runs clear, then set aside in a fine sieve to drain. Trim the woody stem ends from 2 cups fresh okra and slice into 1/4-inch rounds; finely dice the yellow onion, green bell pepper, and celery, mince the garlic, and chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces to eliminate mid-cooking prep rushes.
Render bacon fat
Place a heavy-bottomed 3-quart lidded Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat (350°F / 175°C burner setting). Add the chopped bacon, and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and has released 2 tablespoons of golden, smoky rendered fat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisp bacon to a paper-towel lined plate, leaving all rendered fat in the pot.
Sauté aromatic trinity
Keep the pot over medium heat, add the diced onion, green bell pepper, and celery to the bacon fat, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables soften and turn translucent. Add the minced garlic and 1 teaspoon salt-free Cajun seasoning, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until the garlic releases a warm, nutty aroma without browning.
Sauté okra to cut slime
Add the sliced okra to the pot of sautéed aromatics, stir to coat every piece fully in bacon fat, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the okra brightens to a vivid, deep green and the sticky, slippery sap on its cut edges cooks down and no longer appears stringy. This step prevents the finished dish from having a mushy, slimy texture.
Toast rice and add broth
Stir the drained, rinsed rice into the okra and vegetable mixture, and toast for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until the outer edges of the rice grains turn slightly translucent and give off a faint nutty scent. Pour in 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, stir to combine, and scrape up any browned flavor bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to a gentle rolling boil.
Simmer rice undisturbed
Once the mixture reaches a rolling boil, reduce the stovetop heat to the lowest setting (200°F / 95°C), stir the pot once fully, then cover tightly with the lid. Let the rice cook undisturbed for 18 minutes—do not lift the lid during this time, as trapped steam is critical for even, fluffy rice. After 18 minutes, turn off the heat, and let the pot rest covered for 5 additional minutes to let all remaining liquid absorb.
Fluff and serve dish
Remove the lid from the pot, fluff the rice and okra mixture gently with a fork to separate grains, then fold in the reserved crisped bacon. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed, then transfer to a serving bowl and top with 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions as a bright, fresh garnish.
Tips
2.If using frozen okra in place of fresh, pat it completely dry with paper towels before slicing and add 2 minutes to the okra sauté time to reduce excess moisture and slime.
3.For a heartier seafood twist, add 8 ounces (225g) of peeled, deveined small shrimp on top of the rice right after turning off the heat, before the 5-minute rest period; trapped steam will cook the shrimp through to pink, tender perfection.
Made this for my neighborhood potluck over the weekend and it was SO good – I got so many people asking for the recipe! Super straightforward, didn’t require any fancy ingredients I had to run to three stores for. That little kick of cayenne was perfect, not too spicy for the folks who can’t handle heat. 10/10 will make again.
Total game changer for my weekly meal prep! I made a big batch on Sunday, portioned it out into containers for work lunches, and it held up perfectly all week in the fridge. The flavors actually got better each day, which never happens with rice and veggie dishes for me. So happy I found this easy recipe!
Really solid side dish for our grilled shrimp night! I swapped the white rice for brown rice because that’s what we had in the pantry, and it still turned out great. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I wish I’d added a little extra bacon, but that’s on me, not the recipe. Tasty, easy, quick enough for a weeknight family dinner.
My grandma used to make limpin’ Susan when I was a kid and I haven’t found a recipe that tastes like hers until now! I was worried it’d be too complicated, but it was so easy I even let my teen help chop the veggies. Total nostalgia rush, absolutely loved it.
This looks amazing! Quick question before I make it for my taco night this week – can I use frozen okra instead of fresh? My grocery store was out of fresh okra last time I stopped by and I don’t feel like running across town.
I tossed in a handful of peeled, deveined shrimp the last 5 minutes of cooking and it turned this into a full one-pot meal! No extra sides needed, which is perfect for busy weeknights when I don’t feel like doing a ton of dishes.
This was really tasty but I accidentally dumped way too much cayenne in when I was measuring, oops! My mouth was on fire, ha. Next time I’ll actually measure properly instead of shaking the jar straight into the pot. The flavor profile was great though!
Made this as a side for our game day watch party on Sunday and it was the first dish empty! Everyone was raving about the bacon and okra combo, even my cousin who swears he hates okra went back for two helpings. Absolute crowd pleaser.
Hi there! Is there a good swap for the bacon to make this vegetarian? My partner doesn’t eat pork and I’d love to make this for our date night in this weekend.
I just started learning how to cook a couple months ago and this was the first recipe I didn’t mess up! The steps were super clear, no weird techniques, only took 40 minutes total like the recipe said, and it turned out exactly like the photo. I felt so proud serving it to my roommates, they thought I ordered takeout lmao.
My kids loved it! I was worried the okra would be a hard sell for my three boys who only eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, but they ate every bite and asked if I could put it in our weekly dinner rotation. Total mom win over here!
I swapped the regular bacon for turkey bacon to cut down on a little fat, and used low-sodium broth, and it was still so flavorful! I was worried it would taste bland with those swaps but it didn’t miss a beat. Served it with grilled chicken for a perfect balanced dinner.
Wait, I totally forgot to add the onion when I made this last night and it still came out pretty good! Definitely missing a little savoriness but that was 100% my mistake for running out of onions and not going to the store. Still an easy, solid weeknight side.
OMG I served this alongside my lowcountry boil for my husband’s birthday party and it was a match made in heaven! All the flavors paired perfectly with the crab, shrimp, and corn, I can’t believe I never thought to make limpin’ Susan for boils before. 100% a new staple for all our summer parties.