Fried Mozzarella Gets A Classy Twist With This Technique

While mozzarella sticks may get a "barely more than fast food" rap sometimes, they are supremely cheesy and satisfying — and they likely conjure memories of family gatherings, after-school eats, or late-night snack attacks past. What's more, no matter the crowd and professed contempt, mozzarella sticks always fly off the plate at a party. For the same childlike wonder of these tempting tidbits in a more grown-up format, why not try threading fresh mozzarella balls on a skewer and frying them for your next gathering?

Before getting started, you'll want to choose which type of mozzarella to use. While traditional mozzarella sticks rely on the low-moisture part-skim logs of their namesake cheese, there are many types of fresh mozzarella with differing taste and firmness. From burrata to stracciatella, fresh mozzarella does the heavy lifting in many an Italian dish. Fresh cow's milk mozzarella, often referred to as fior di latte or flower of milk, makes an elevated target for a cheese stick appetizer, particularly as the texture is firm enough for frying but still addictively creamy, and the form factor makes it portable and easy to eat.

Fior di latte is made into cheeses in a variety of sizes, ranging from the tiniest perlini that might stud a grain salad to creamy ovolini that would be the star of any sandwich. In between are bocconcini, which translate to small mouthfuls and make an appealing party popper when two or three are stacked on a toothpick or skewer. Ciliegine are slightly smaller pieces, literally named for their cherry-like size, and would also be a great option. If you are feeling ambitious, you could also make your own fresh mozzarella at home with some fresh milk, vinegar, and a bit of muscle.

With cheese of choice threaded and ready to go, a standard three-step dredge into flour, egg, and breadcrumbs is the next stop on this mozzarella train. If you are doing party prep, you can refrigerate the dredged sticks earlier in the day and fry right before your guests arrive. Much like the coating for shatteringly crunchy fried chicken, Wondra flour or even rice flour will be that extra touch that makes your adult mozzarella sticks the star of the party. The final step is to fry these beauties to a golden brown, either in oil or in the mozzarella-stick approved air fryer, and wait for them to disappear.