Fried Mozzarella with Marinara Sauce

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Who can resist an appetizer or side order of Fried Mozzarella with Marinara Sauce on the menu? Not us! It’s one of the most popular side dishes ordered across the world, luring in millions of people every day with a delicious, golden, crispy coating encasing that molten hot gooey Mozzarella Cheese filling

Great Fried Mozzarella is a treat we all deserve on occasion, but who said you have to go out to your local bar or restaurant to enjoy it? Making your own homemade Fried Mozzarella Bites is so much fun, and honestly, it’ll taste better than anything you can buy out there!

How to make Perfect Fried Mozzarella

Making the perfect Fried Mozzarella is very easy. Like most cooking, it all comes down to understanding a few simple techniques, and by following the process. Do that, and you’ll be biting into gooey, crispy, and delicious Fried Mozzarella in no time at all!

Chose the right Mozzarella Cheese for the job

There is an abundance of different types of Mozzarella Cheese that you can buy these days. It can sometimes feel overwhelming when confronted with a wall of cheese at the grocery store! There are several types of Mozzarella, but the cheese we want for deep frying is the type that is firm and holds its shape

Avoid buying any Mozzarella Cheese that is swimming in liquid in its packaging. This cheese is fantastic for other types of preparations (such as our awesome Burrata and Strawberry Salad recipe), but for deep frying, it will all fall apart as you’re attempting to apply the breading

Get the strong stuff that is usually packed in tight plastic wrapping. This cheese is packed a lot more condense and will hold its shape when being prepared. The good news is this type of Mozzarella is generally cheaper than the fancy stuff in water, so you’ll save some dollars too!

Prepare a simple breading station: Flour, Egg, and Breadcrumbs

The classic preparation for breading is three separate bowls. One filled with seasoned Flour, the second with whisked Eggs / egg wash, and the third with breadcrumbs. We first coat the cheese in the Flour, then place it into the Egg Wash. Finally, you coat the cheese liberally with breadcrumbs before it goes into the fryer

This is a classic breading technique that gets the best crunchy texture to coat the cheese. The key to getting the most flavor in your Fried Mozzarella Bites is to aggressively season both the Flour, and the Breadcrumbs. Other than Salt, you can add some spice to the flour to add a little bit of heat to the dish. Chili Powder and / or Cayenne Pepper are good choices for adding heat

If you want to really ramp up the cheesiness of your Fried Mozzarella, then an optional step is to add some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese into the Breadcrumbs. This doesn’t really affect the texture much, but adds a lovely, nutty flavor to the crust which tastes great

Different breadcrumbs will produce different textures in the result

The breadcrumbs are a bit of a personal choice when it comes to this dish. For our recipes we’ve opted for a superfine breadcrumb. We’ve found that you get a much more even coating overall when using superfine breadcrumbs, which results in a more consistent texture throughout

Another popular option for breadcrumbs is Panko, which is extremely popular in Japanese cooking. The Panko is lighter, but also a lot chunkier. Panko will yield a rougher texture, but you also run the risk of there being uneven coating of your cheese. There is a risk the ball of cheese may not be completely sealed, and some of the Mozzarella may leak out

Our recommendation is to try a few options of breadcrumbs and see which ones you prefer. We prefer the superfine breadcrumbs as they guarantee a consistent texture, no leaks, and a beautiful, crispy crunch!

There are many shapes and sizes you can prepare Fried Mozzarella

There’s no right or wrong shape to prepare Fried Mozzarella. Hey, we’re deep-frying cheese here, it’s going to taste amazing however it’s shaped! Shaping the cheese really comes down to personal preference, and what is best suited for the shape of Mozzarella you’re working with

You can cut the cheese into cubes or shape them into balls which are both very common options. Another option is to shape them into longer, cylinder-shaped pieces which is typical of what you’d expect to see at bars around the country

For our recipe, we’re going to shape the Mozzarella a little larger, into discs that resemble small hockey pucks. This is our personal preference, but also for presentation. As we’ll be plating the cheese on top of the freshly made Marinara Sauce, having a larger disc-shaped Fried Mozzarella piece looks great. It’s more of a ‘cut and eat’ meal as opposed to pick it up with your fingers

Of course, it’s Fried Cheese so who are we to tell you how to eat it. Shape your cheese and eat it however you want!

They’re great on their own, but even better when paired with a beautiful Marinara Sauce

There’s nothing better than enjoying some piping hot, gooey Fried Mozzarella Cheese alongside a lovely Marinara Sauce. A great Marinara Sauce serves a very important purpose in the dish. It needs to be slightly sweet, and slightly acidic to help cut through the richness of the Fried Cheese

We keep our Marinara Sauce very classic with the preparation. Fry off some diced Onions and Garlic in a Saucepan, then reduce some Canned Tomatoes for about 20 minutes until you achieve a thick, yet saucy consistency. Add some Salt and Pepper for seasoning and then you’re done!

If you want to go ‘all in’ on your Marinara Sauce then we’d recommend you head over to our Homemade Red Sauce recipe. It’s an epic dish packed with flavor. It’ll take a bit more time, but it’s well worth it

Fried Mozzarella with Marinara Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 14 oz. Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 2 Eggs, whisked
• 1 cup Superfine Breadcrumbs
• 4 cups of Frying Oil (eg: Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil)
• Salt
• Optional: ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
  
  

For the Marinara Sauce

• 400g / 14 oz. Canned Tomatoes
• ½ Onion, finely diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
  

Equipment needed: Candy Thermometer

Instructions

1. We begin by making the Marinara Sauce. Heat the Olive Oil in a Saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the Onion and sauté for 4 – 5 minutes until tender. Add the Garlic and cook for 1 more minute
2. Stir in Tomato Paste, cook for 1 minute then add the Canned Tomatoes and Salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once done, set aside
3. Cut the Mozzarella block into small hockey puck-shaped discs about 2 ½ oz. each
4. Prepare your breading station by filling three bowls: The first with Flour and 2 tsp. of Salt, the second with the whisked Eggs, and the third with Breadcrumbs, 1 tsp. of Salt and (optional) Parmesan Cheese
5. Dip the Cheese into the Flour, Egg, and finally the Breadcrumbs. Ensure the cheese is well coated throughout each step
6. Heat the Frying Oil in a Saucepan until the temperature is between 350F – 375F. We recommend using a Candy Thermometer to monitor the temperature
7. Add the Mozzarella and fry for 4 – 5 minutes until golden-brown. Flip the Mozzarella about halfway through to ensure an even coat. Once cooked, remove carefully from the Oil and place on a wire rack. Immediately season generously with Salt. Repeat for remaining pieces of Cheese
8. If needed, re-heat the Marinara Sauce and spoon onto a plate. Place the Fried Mozzarella Cheese on top the Marinara Sauce and serve immediately
   
   

Recipe Notes

To avoid the Oil temperature dropping, we recommend frying a maximum of 2 pieces of Cheese at once. You want to keep the Oil temperature between 350F – 375F for the best, crispiest result

When you’re talking about fun recipes, we think our Fried Mozzarella with Marinara Sauce is up there with one of the best! If you’ve enjoyed this recipe we’ve got plenty more fun dishes for you to try out. Here are a few of our recommendations:

• Crispy Fried Chicken Bites
• Personal Deep Dish Pizza
• Salmon and Dill Rice Balls
• Hollandaise Sauce in a Blender
  
  

Happy Cooking!