Crispy Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara
Low-moisture mozzarella double-breaded, frozen solid, then fried hot and fast so the crust sets before the cheese can blow out.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min (plus 1 hour freezing)
- Cook
- 10 min
- Written
Method
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Whisk the eggs with the water in one bowl. Put the flour in a second bowl, and stir the panko, oregano, garlic powder, and salt together in a third.
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Roll each cheese stick through the flour, then the egg, then press firmly into the panko until fully coated. Dip back through the egg and panko a second time so there are no bare patches.
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Arrange the breaded sticks in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray and freeze at least 1 hour, until solid all the way through.
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Pour oil into a heavy pot to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 350°F.
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Fry the frozen sticks in small batches, turning once, until deep golden brown, about 90 seconds a side — pull them the moment the crust colors, before the cheese has a chance to split the coating.
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Drain on a wire rack and serve immediately with the warm marinara.
Notes
The freeze is the whole recipe: bread them straight from the fridge and the cheese melts before the crust sets, so you get a puddle in the fryer instead of a stick. Frozen solid, the outside can go dark gold in the time it takes the inside to just barely soften.
Keep the oil hot and the batches small — a crowded pot drops the temperature, and a slow fry is exactly what lets the cheese win the race against the crust. Any mozzarella that browns and blisters means the oil ran cold; pull the next batch sooner.