Inspired by a forgotten ball of fresh mozzarella that was a week past its sell by date, I searched online for recipe ideas, which led me to a blog called The Flotilla Diaspora. There I found a recipe that sounded simple enough, which would also make for a crispy and filling side dish to serve with homemade soup.
I have eaten fried fresh mozzarella once before at DaVinci’s Restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, but have never tried making it at home. I found the directions on The Flotilla Diaspora to be very helpful, especially the part about heating the oil to a higher-than-usual temperature. I also found that using three layers of batter helped in creating a crispy coating that really held together well (flour, egg, flour, egg, then the bread crumbs). Instead of traditional bread crumbs, I used Progresso’s Italian Style Panko crumbs and was very happy with the results.
While I do not plan to prepare fried cheese as a side dish very often, I am certain that I will find myself craving it at some point and I will definitely use this recipe when I make it again!
