Ooooooh girl. I knew my ideal girl dinner menu had to have some sort of mozz' sticks. They are the comfort food of all starters and I am VERY picky about mozzarella sticks. They can't be bendy or room temperature, the breadcrumb topping has to be thick and have good flavor on it's own, and they have to be served immediately. I love Mozzarella sticks as a staple, but on the whole I don't think they have reached their full flavor potential. In an ideal world we have buffalo wing flavor on crunchy, epic-cheese pull mozzarella sticks. This recipe mashes Nashville hot seasoning and sourdough breadcrumbs to up the ante here. I paired mine with cool ranch, and spicy marinara on the side.
Mozzarella sticks sound like such a basic thing to make, but they are very fussy and have a lot of potential for mishaps. If the oil gets too hot, they will burn. If the cheese gets too warm, the whole thing falls apart, etc. Lucky for us, that's not going to happen with this recipe. These Nashville Hot Mozzarella sticks are easy to make, pack a flavor punch and have a great crust. The way I ensured success was cutting my mozzarella block into sticks and coating them with a flour/seasoning mix before freezing overnight (or 2-3 hours). Then after the mozzarella sticks come out of the oil, toss them into the Nashville hot sauce mix and serve with ranch or marinara! I used what I have most of and that's stale sourdough. For my breadcrumb base, it gives them that full "bready" flavoring to layer with the spicy coating. If you don't have stale sourdough, it's no problem at all, use croutons in the food processor or any breadcrumb of your choice!
What You'll Need:
16 oz block of mozzarella
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sourdough breadcrumbs (or any bread crumbs)
1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp parmesan cheese
2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
Let's Make It:
1. Either the night before, or about 2 hours before frying, cut your mozzarella block into 'cheese sticks' about 1-1.5 in thick and 4 in lengthwise.
2. In a large bowl, mix your flour, cajun seasoning, cayenne, garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Toss in your cheese sticks and get them really coated so they don't stick. Place them into a plastic freezer bag and set them in the freezer for about 2 hours or overnight.
3. Set up your dredging station. In one bowl, whisk together your eggs and set to the side. In another bowl, add your breadcrumbs. Take out your frozen mozzarella sticks and coat each mozzarella stick in egg, then breadcrumbs. Coat completely.
4. In a large dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed pot) heat your vegetable oil on
medium heat. Either use a thermometer and wait for the oil to hit 350°F. Or poke a wooden chopstick into the oil, if bubbles form, it's ready!
5. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, carefully drop your mozzarella sticks into the hot oil. Cook about 1 min per side, watch closely. We are looking for golden brown, no cheese leaks! Immediately set on cookie sheet.
6. While the mozzarella sticks are cooling, toss them in the Nashville hot seasoning sauce and serve!
(Optional serve with pickles and ranch)
For the Nashville Hot Seasoning Sauce:
In a bowl, melt together :
4 tb butter, 2 tbsp cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp garlic powder.
Comments