Mozzarella in Carrozza ( Italian Fried mozzarella sandwich) is one of the most popular appetizers of Neapolitan cuisine.
It is called “Mozzarella in Carrozza” because mozzarella is wrapped in slices of bread, breaded and then fried.
Crispy on the outside and soft and stringy on the inside.
Originally it was a recipe that intended to reuse the stale bread and mozzarella from the day before.
Today fried mozzarella sandwich is considered more than anything else a delicious appetizer or street food, available a bit in all the pizzerias and street vendors in Naples.
The original recipe, the Neapolitan Mozzarella in Carrozza, provides for the exclusive use of buffalo mozzarella, even if this type of cheese is very watery. Therefore buffalo mozzarella should first drained for at least a day before using it.
In alternative, you can use a fiordilatte mozzarella, which, being more consistent. It is also easier to cut into slices and releases less water during cooking (but it is less tasty).
Ingredients to prepare Italian fried mozzarella sandwich for four people
8 slices of sandwich bread
250 gr of mozzarella
4 eggs
100 gr flour
300gr breadcrumbs
1 pinch of salt
peanut or sunflower oil for frying
1)To prepare Italian fried mozzarella sandwich, start cutting the mozzarella into 1 cm thick slices. Arrange them on a tray lined with paper towels and cover with other sheets of paper towels.
Gently press with your hands to pat the mozzarella and remove excess water. If necessary, change the sheets of kitchen paper until it is completely dry.
Cut out the edges of the bread in order to eliminate the external crust.
Arrange the slices of bread on a cutting board, arrange the slices of mozzarella on top, so as to cover the entire surface, but without letting it out from the edges of the bread, salt and cover each slice with another slice of bread.
Press gently with your hands to compact everything. Continue like this for all the other slices of bread, until you also finish the mozzarella.
At this point, it is possible to cut the mozzarella sandwiches in two different ways.
By cutting the bread diagonally to obtain two triangles or by cutting the bread in half to obtain two rectangles.
2)Break the eggs in a bowl and beat them with a whisk for a few minutes.
Then in two other bowls put the breadcrumbs in one and the flour in the other.
Dredge each piece of the sandwich first in the flour, then dip in the egg, so as to cover them entirely.
Then place them on a plate for a few seconds, so as to remove excess egg and avoid lumps when you pass it in breadcrumbs. Coat with breadcrumbs and seal well the edges.
Transfer to a cutting board and with the blade of a knife lightly press the edges and the surface in order to uniform the breading and have a more precise shape.
If necessary, go back to the breadcrumbs and press again with the knife blade.
Continue like this for all the other pieces and transfer them gradually on a tray lined with parchment paper.
It is advisable to make the double breading, passing them again first in the egg, then in the plate to remove the excess one and lastly again in the breadcrumbs.
As previously done transfer the pieces of mozzarella in a carriage to a cutting board and with the blade of a knife make the bread uniform.
Pour the oil into a pan and bring it to the temperature of 170-180 ° at the maximum. Dip a few pieces at a time and fry the Italian fried mozzarella sandwich for 1-2 minutes, turning them occasionally with a skimmer.
When they are crispy and golden drain them from the oil and transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
Serve hot.
Find out the detailed recipe on
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