If You Love Mozz Sticks, You’ll Love These Fried Caprese Balls

This easy app is part caprese salad, part mozzarella stick, and completely welcome at any get-together.

Fried caprese balls laid out on a plate.
Serious Eats / Greg Dupree

Who doesn't love a a fried hybrid? A frybrid, if you will! This one is of two of my favorite mozzarella-based appetizers: caprese salad and mozzarella sticks. The result are what I'm calling "Fried Caprese Balls": mozzarella-filled mini-tomatoes that are breaded, fried, and served with plenty of basil and balsamic reduction.

The first step to a great caprese salad is finding the right tomatoes, and the same can be said for its fried cousin. But while I usually look for the biggest, juiciest tomatoes for fresh caprese salads, I wanted to use firmer, golf-ball-sized tomatoes here instead. They're the perfect size for individual popper-size balls.

I uses an apple corer to hollow out the centers of the tomatoes, but a mini melon baller would also work. After scooping out the seeds, I gently push ciliegine (small 1/2-ounce balls of mozzarella) into each one, being careful not to rip the tomatoes. At this point, they're ready to be coated.

I keep the skins on the tomatoes because they help hold everything together, but that means they're more difficult to bread. The key is to dip them in flour first to give the egg and breadcrumbs something to adhere to. A double-dip in the egg and breadcrumb then ensures that the tomatoes are fully covered and the breading is thick enough to keep the mozzarella from oozing out during frying.

When fried, the tomatoes soften, breaking down to a sauce-like texture in spots. Along with the melted cheese and breadcrumbs, it all reminds me of what it'd be like to put warm marinara inside a mozzarella stick. In other words, it's awesome.

For the sauce, I reduce a mixture of balsamic vinegar and honey, which I then drizzle over the Caprese Balls before serving. Just make sure to wait until you're just about to serve them to drizzle, lest they get soggy.

For a finishing touch, I garnish each fried ball with a little fresh basil.

It's so damned good, I'm already thinking of what other cheesy dish I can transform into a fried snack...shouldn't take me long to come back with an answer.

Using an apple corer or melon baller, gently scoop out the centers of the tomatoes and discard. Push a mozzarella ball into each hollowed tomato, being careful not to rip the tomatoes.

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Pour the flour in a shallow bowl. Pour the breadcrumbs in another. In a third shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Dip the tomatoes into the flour and roll to coat, and then dip them into the egg mixture. Roll the tomatoes in the breadcrumbs to coat. Repeat the egg and breadcrumb coatings a second time.

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In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the balsamic vinegar and honey. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the balsamic has reduced by half and easily coats the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a high-walled, heavy-bottomed skillet heat 1/2-inch of oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Fry the tomatoes in batches, turning, until golden brown all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with sea salt.

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Serve the tomatoes while warm with additional mozzarella balls and a basil leaf garnish. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction and serve.

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Notes

Make sure to find tomatoes that are big enough to hold a single small mozzarella ball in each one.