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Fried Caprese Bites

On a previous post I mentioned that a baked mozzarella dish I was served in Florence sparked my mozzarella obsession. While that is true, that wasn’t the only mozzarella dish that made my heart melt during our two week long trip. While all of the food in Italy was good, to this day one of the best meals I have ever had anywhere, was at  Il Buco in Sorrento. We ordered their tasting menu which on it’s own was scrumptious, but imagine my delight when before that even started we were brought a complimentary appetizer, a deep fried caprese bite.  Fresh mozzarella balls, sweet basil and cherry tomatoes were coated in a light batter and fried until golden, oh be still my heart.  Since I can’t walk on over to Il Buco, I had to give it a try at home and I’m glad I did.

When these were served to us they weren’t on skewers, but I couldn’t think of another way to keep them together while frying. Once they were cooked, I was able to remove the skewers and the bite stayed together. However, you can leave them on the skewer too, in fact if you are having a dinner party, I think leaving them on the skewer makes for a nice presentation.

Fried caprese bites on skewers

Fried Caprese Bites

Fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes dipped in batter and fried until golden.
Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 3 mins
Total Time 28 mins
Course Easy Appetizer Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients
  

Ingredients:

  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • 8 ciliegini fresh mini-mozzarella balls. I found them in my deli right next to the fresh mozzarella
  • basil leaves
  • 8 skewers soaked in water 20 minutes prior to frying
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • canola oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Heat about 3 inches of canola oil over medium-high heat.
  • Use 1 tomato, 1 ciliegini and 1-2 basil leaves (folded in half), per skewer. It doesn't really matter which order you skewer the ingredients, just make sure that they are no more than 1/4 inch away from the top. Frying is easier the closer they are to the top.
  • To make the batter, sift together flour, corn starch, salt, pepper and granulated garlic, whisk in egg and cold water.
  • Dip each skewer in the batter.
  • Once the oil is hot, hold each battered skewer into the oil and fry until golden brown. About 2-3 minutes. (Note: I didn't have any problems but since you are holding the skewers be careful of splatter from the oil.) Remove from fryer and sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat until all skewers are fried. Serve.

Notes

Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Mention @lifesambrosia or tag #lifesambrosia!
Keywords: appetizer, caprese, Food, fried food, il buco, italy, mozzarella bites, Recipe, snack, sorrento

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    Brenda
    January 20, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    YUM!!!! I am going to try drizzling them with a balsamic glaze. Double yum!

  • Reply
    Deseree
    May 13, 2009 at 7:48 pm

    I hope you enjoy them Elizabeth!
    haha Thanks Hillary, we can’t be healthy all of the time ;-)
    Thanks Sheila! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

  • Reply
    Sheila
    May 13, 2009 at 9:39 am

    What a great idea to put them on a skewer! I can’t wait to try it.

  • Reply
    Hillary
    May 13, 2009 at 8:04 am

    This is awesome. I love how you took something fresh and healthy-seeming and just fried it! Would love to try this someday :)

  • Reply
    Elizabeth F.
    May 12, 2009 at 5:51 pm

    Such a great twist on caprese skewers – I would love to try these!

  • Reply
    Deseree
    May 12, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    Marta: Thank you for adding me to your blog list! That is very nice of you :)
    Liesl: I love caprese salad too, and everything is good fried right? ;-)
    Thanks finsmom!
    haha redmenace, I promise I am not trying to kill you. I hope you like them!
    Thanks amy!
    Only crazy people Michelle. It seems like everything on a stick is good!

  • Reply
    Michelle
    May 12, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    I love it on skewers. Who doesn’t love food on a stick??

  • Reply
    amy
    May 12, 2009 at 12:33 pm

    I LOVE this idea!

  • Reply
    redmenace
    May 12, 2009 at 11:17 am

    Oh my. You are trying to kill me. These look amazingly tasty. I can’t wait to try it!

  • Reply
    finsmom
    May 12, 2009 at 10:56 am

    My goodness, that is my kind of appy! Yum!
    Such a clever and cool idea!

  • Reply
    Liesl
    May 12, 2009 at 7:47 am

    What a great idea!! I love caprese salad…but fried!! Now there is something I could sink my teeth into!

  • Reply
    Marta
    May 12, 2009 at 5:55 am

    Deseree this looks fantastic! I’m glad you experimented at home and nailed your feavourite recipe! What a great reward for some kitchen adventure! Thye look delicious, I can just picture them being the talk of the night at a cocktail party!
    I don’t know if I told you, but I added you to my blog list :) I just love your site, so elegant and simple :)
    Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply
    Deseree
    May 11, 2009 at 8:02 pm

    Thanks Mrs. L! Whenever I have fried mozzarella I usually have sticks, but the little balls really do fry up nicely.
    I know what you mean Rita! Fried cheese is probably one of the best things ever! :-)
    Thanks Zoe! I usually just drop a drop of the batter into the oil and if it sizzles then I know that the oil is hot enough. Hope that helps!

  • Reply
    zoe
    May 11, 2009 at 7:42 pm

    omg, I thought I wouldn’t love caprese salad any more than I already do, but this is amazing! I have to try it! How did you know when the oil was hot enough?

  • Reply
    Rita
    May 11, 2009 at 7:09 pm

    hummmm, fried cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Reply
    Mrs. L
    May 11, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    I buy mini-mozzarela balls all the time but would have never thought of deep frying them. Yum!

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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