Tomato and Fried Mozzarella Towers

Tomato and Fried Mozzarella Towers

October 29, 2017

Servings: 4

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 1 min

Total: 22 min

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Take your tomato/mozzarella appetizer to the next level with crispy layers of fried mozzarella.

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup panko
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP milk
• 1 lb mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch thick discs
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced horizontally into 1/4 inch thick discs to match the mozzarella
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• Balsamic glaze for drizzling
• Olive oil for drizzling
• Specialty salt for seasoning

Directions

• Step 1 To prepare the batter: whisk eggs and milk together. Coat each slice of mozzarella with flour, then dip in egg and then roll in bread crumbs. Make sure it is coated evenly. Dip in egg and crumbs again. Freeze for at least 20 minutes before frying.
• Step 2 Heat your fryer to 350. Once the green light comes in, carefully place the discs in the basket and gently place in the oil. Fry for 1 minute and drain on paper towels.
• Step 3 To plate, begin layering as follows – tomato first, then mozzarella, topped with basil leaves, drizzle of olive oil, drizzle of balsamic, then sprinkle of salt. Repeat and layer at least 3 times to get the “tower” effect. (see photos below)
• Step 4 Drizzle balsamic and olive oil over the dish one last time at the end and serve fresh.

In my opinion, tomato and mozzarella is the ultimate appetizer, if done right. Lucious heirloom tomatoes, layers of creamy mozzarella cheese, fresh basil garnish…my mouth is watering already! I know, I know, you’re thinking yawn – it’s been done a million times! But, how often have you seen it done with fried mozzarella? Now I have your attention! Just one little tweak and it takes this appetizer to the next level. Indulgent? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely!

As you know from some of our other recipes, we invested in a home-fryer last year. But this recipe is totally doable with pan-fried or oven-baked mozzarella so I will include extra instructions for those versions as well, see recipe modifications below. As someone who’s pretty health conscious, I never thought I would let a fryer even cross our threshold, but I had a mind of my own when I was pregnant, let me tell you! And honestly, if you use the fryer in moderation (like any approach to a healthy lifestyle should be), it’s really not going to kill you. Besides, if you’re going to indulge in anything fried, wouldn’t you rather fry it yourself from scratch instead of heating up some frozen fried app with god-knows-what-chemicals in it. Maybe that’s just me, but the thought of knowing at least we fried it ourself and used wholesome fresh ingredients for the batter has made me all the more comfortable with a home fryer.

There’s obviously many ways you can plate this appetizer, but we love to stack the layers of mozzarella and tomato in towers. It seems so much more elegant that way, like a little tower of Pisa on a plate. Marc really has a skill for this – every time he makes it, it looks like art! And when you cut yourself a piece, you get several layers all at once in one bite. The trick to layering the tower is placing basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic and olive oil between each layer.

We are sticklers for using good quality olive oil (worth it I promise), specialty salts, and have become obsessed with this balsamic glaze from Trader Joes. If you don’t have access to the glaze, it’s super easy to make, see the recipe modifications below.

One of our favorite olive oils, from a trip to Mallorca:

Over the years of serving this appetizer, we’ve tried many iterations with many different ingredients. You can add prosciutto, you can experiment with different flavored salts. You can use fancy olive oil (one of our favorites, below) or balsamic vinegars. Adding the fried mozzarella this time was one of those such experiments and it was a home-run.

Today’s finished product:

Recipe Modifications:

Pan-fried mozzarella:

• Pour a thin layer of canola oil into a skillet.  Heat to medium-high and when the oil begins to sizzle, add the mozzarella.  Fry for 1 minute each side and then drain on paper-towels.

Oven-baked mozzarella:

• If you’re going to oven-bake the mozzarella, preheat oven to 400°F and freeze for 1 hour. Bake mozzarella discs on a greased cooking sheet until they are browned and cheese just begins to ooze, 6 to 7 minutes.

Making your own balsamic glaze:

• Mix 2 cups balsamic vinegar with 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until glaze is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Glaze should coat the back of a spoon. Let cool and pour into a jar with a lid; store in refrigerator.