This is not easy, I warn you, but it is fantastic.  The final product is crunchy and creamy, the coating has a blast of flavor while the middle is mild, and the pizza sauce I use as a dip is tangy and fresh.  A perfect appetizer, just a little difficult to fry without the cheese oozing out.  Follow my tips and you should be ok.

I find inspirations for my home recipes at my favorite restaurants.  I just love a well done fried fresh mozzarella, so I wanted to figure out how to do it at home, and below is the result of my experiments!

Ingredients:

Large log of fresh mozzarella

Tip:  After you slice it pat the slices as dry as possible before dipping

Bowl 1:  half cup of flour, teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning, dash of salt, mixed well

Bowl 2:  2 eggs, 2 tbsp dry sherry whisked together

Bowl 3:   3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1 tbsp fresh parmesan cheese or shake cheese, 1 tsp dried italian seasoning, 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Pour enough Canola oil into a large non stick skillet to come up the sides a centimeter

Dipping the mozzarella

Dip the dried slices into each bowl and then lay the covered slices on a cookie sheet.

Tip:  Put this sheet into a freezer for at least 30 minutes to set and chill them enough so they don’t immediately ooze out in the hot oil!

When you take the cheese out of the freezer, I recommend adding more bread crumbs to the edges while the oil heats to a point where it is actually sizzling on its own, needs to hit at least 350 degrees.

Place carefully the cheese into the oil, never drop it or you will get spattered!  Keep the kids clear as the oil can pop and burn them.  I have them dip the cheese into the toppings, then vacate the kitchen.

Once one side is browned use a narrow spatula to turn them to the other side.  Let the other side brown, then remove to a paper towel covered plate to set and drain some of the oil off of the fried chees, even dabbing the top as well.

Serve with pizza sauce and a few fresh oregano leaves or basil leaves for freshness and color!