I’ve mentioned before that I was a vegetarian whilst living as an exchange student in France right? Pardonez-moi while I go smack my head against the door for the umpteenth time over that one, would ya?
I wouldn’t quite say I regret it, but I do wish I tried a few of the meaty-delicacies France had to offer. It’s not like I suffered food-wise as a result of that.
Honestly. My host mother used to buy the most amazing cheese steaks for me. They were crispy, crunchy, breaded numbers that she would pan fry for me. When I stuck my fork into them, the crispy coating would crackle and when I pulled away, the cheese would string on for what seemed like infinity.
She served them with a grainy mustard sauce, and people, I probably could’ve eaten my substantially-smaller-back-then weight in them. Following hot on the heels of a nostalgic 40th birthday celebration, I figured that it was about time I recreated this dream food.
I really wanted to nail the gooey, ooey, stringy cheese of the French version in my memory, so mozzarella seemed like a perfect choice. And because I remember the cheese being delicate in flavour, I opted for fresh mozzarella.
I was able to score some beautiful balls of fresh mozzarella at my local Aldi (HOORAY ALDI!) for a price low enough to compare to a block of regular ol’ mozzie.
I knew I planned to deep-fry or pan-fry the Fresh Mozzarella Steaks, so I wanted to be sure the breading not only stayed put, but also covered the whole cheese steak. I couldn’t think of a sadder failure than having molten cheese ooze out of a crust and into hot oil.
I might’ve cried if that happened, but luckily, the simple-if-messy breading process prevented that from occurring. I’m excited to say that these homemade Crispy, Gooey, Fresh Mozzarella Steaks were an exact replica of how my brain remembered those glorious French ones of my youth.
Now, friends, I won’t lie. I pulled these apart with my fingers and ate them straight up and my eyes rolled back into my head I was so happy.
But if you were to serve them with a grainy mustard sauce like Madame Nussbaumer did, you’d be in heaven. And if you wanted to go another direction and serve them like giant, deep-fried mozzarella sticks with a side of marinara, you certainly wouldn’t regret it.
I know, I know! I said the breading process was messy; it is. There is good news, though!
You can -and I highly advise you do- make an enormous amount of these and freeze the uncooked Fresh Mozzarella Steaks. You can transfer them to a zipper seal bag and keep them deep-frozen for up to 3 months without a deterioration in quality.
In fact, you’ll be freezing them before cooking them anyway to keep the cheese from exploding forth from the crispy, crunchy breading during the frying process, so you may as well do more than you’ll need for one sitting.
Why would you want a freezer full of ready-to-go Crispy, Gooey, Fresh Mozzarella Steaks? For starters, you would be mere minutes away from a (LITERALLY) cheese steak dinner at any given moment. There is another reason, though.
Maybe later this week I will share a recipe using Crispy, Gooey Fresh Mozzarella Steaks that looks something like THIS and you wouldn’t want to have to wait for breaded cheese steaks to freeze to go here, would you?
Fried Mozzarella Steaks
It’s best if you bread and freeze your cheese steaks at least 24 hours in advance of when you’d like to serve them. This is because you want to crisp up the breading on the outside without getting the cheese so hot that it will explode out of the breading.
Your best insurance against that sad possibility is making sure the cheese is frozen rock solid when it goes into the hot pan or oil. The cheese should melt to perfection just at the same point the outside crust is a wondrous shade of golden brown.
There’s no getting around it; the breading process will be messy. The best way to keep it from taking over your kitchen is to organize yourself before you start breading.
First, line the pan on which you intend to freeze them with parchment, waxed paper, or a silpat. Second, pour the flour into a cake pan or pie plate and season it.
Third, add your panko crumbs to another cake pan or pie plate. Fourth, stir together your egg and milk with a fork.
Lay everything out in this order: cutting board with cheese on it, flour plate, egg/milk plate, panko plate, lined pan.
To bread the cheese steaks, you’ll dip them in flour, shake off the excess, dunk to coat in the egg/milk mixture and let the excess drip away, roll in the panko crumbs and let the extras drop off, then repeat the process before laying the twice-breaded cheese steak on the lined pan. This is your second insurance policy against cheese escaping the breading into the oil.
Place the pan with the breaded cheese steaks in the freezer and let them solidify at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight. When they’re hard as a rock, you can either fry them or transfer them to a labeled, zipper topped bag for up to 3 months, cooking only as many as you want at a time.
I think it probably goes without saying, but don’t crowd the pan when you cook them. Because they are frozen, they will lower the temperature of the oil when they go in and you want the oil to recover as quickly as possible.
Besides that, it’s just harder to flip them gently when you fry them if the pan is crowded, increasing your likelihood of breaking the beautiful brown things open before their time.
Crispy, Gooey Fresh Mozzarella Steaks
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 balls fresh mozzarella
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
To Fry the Steaks:
- oil for deep frying or pan frying
Instructions
To Prepare the Fresh Mozzarella Steaks:
- Slice the mozzarella balls into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slabs. Set aside. Use a fork to toss the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning together in a cake pan or pie plate. Set that to the right of the cheese on the cutting board.
- Crack the eggs into another cake pan or pie plate, add the milk, and use a fork or whisk to combine the two until they're even in colour. Set that to the right of the flour.
- Use another fork to toss together the panko crumbs and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Set that to the right of the egg/milk mixture and then set a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat to the right of that.
- Dredge one slice of the mozzarella through the flour, flipping and making sure the whole thing has been coated. Gently shake off any excess. Dip it into the egg/milk mixture, flipping to coat the whole thing, lift it, and let the excess drip away before dredging it through the panko mixture. Lift the mozzarella slice and gently shake to let any panko crumbs that didn't adhere fall way. Now repeat the process, beginning with the flour, moving to the egg/milk, and finishing with the panko. When the entire cheese steak has been coated twice, lay it on the lined pan and repeat with the remaining cheese slices. Set the pan in the freezer at least 8 hours, but preferably 24 hours before serving. After they're frozen solid, they can be transferred to a zipper top freezer bag and stored for up to 3 months without any loss of quality.
To Deep-Fry the Crispy, Gooey Fresh Mozzarella Steaks:
- Preheat oil to 345°F. Carefully lower 2 or 3 mozzarella steaks into the oil. If there are any ice crystals on the steaks, they may sputter as they're lowered into the oil. Fry for 3 minutes, or until the outside is a beautiful golden brown. Use a slotted spoon, basket, or tongs to lift the cheese steaks from the hot oil and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate. Let rest for 3 minutes before serving.
To Pan-Fry the Crispy, Gooey Fresh Mozzarella Steaks:
- Pour 1/2-inch of oil into a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil looks shimmery, use tongs to carefully lower 2 or 3 steaks into the pan (taking care not to overcrowd them.) Fry for 2 minutes on one side, or until golden brown. Slide a spatula under each steak and use tongs or another spatula to hold the cheese steak against the first spatula while gently turning it over. This should prevent splattering of the oil. Fry the second side for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a spatula or slotted spoon to transfer the fried cheese steak to a paper towel lined plate and let it rest 3 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!
Originally published August 11, 2014
Reader's Thoughts...
Kara Mathys @Wellnessgrit says
These crispy gooey fresh mozzarella steaks just look so incredibly delicious and I am so craving a slice right now! Can I post it on my blog?
Rebecca says
Hi Kara- I’m fine with you posting it in your own words with your own photos as long as you link back to this post! I’d love it if you email me a link when your post goes live.
Gigi says
Wow! This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it, or better yet have my husband Make it! One tip I’ve learned over the years to make bread and a little less messy is quotation mark wet hand dry h One tip I learned over the years to make bread and a little less messy is “ wet hand / dry hand.” Just make sure to use the wet hand with the wet dipping and the dry hand with the dry dipping. It is a meditative process and I always manage to mess it up, but it does help the mess factor.
Rebecca says
Thanks, Gigi! You are so right about wet hand/dry hand.
Robin Hamilton @Wellness Wires says
Fantastic photos, and amazing looking crispy gooey fresh mozzarella steaks! I am obsessed with steaks! I’ll definitely try it! Thanks a lot for sharing!
Rebecca says
Thank you very much, Robin! Mozzarella steaks are a fun twist, aren’t they?
Bella Hardy @ Healthnerdy says
Wow! looks delicious. I would try making these crispy gooey fresh mozzarella steaks for sure!
Robin says
Your prep time should include the 8 to 12 hours in the freezer.
Rebecca says
That is not active prep time, so I don’t include it.
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
This is absolutely magnificent, scrumptious, delicious, super yummy crispy gooey fresh mozzarella steaks. I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thx Rebecca!
Aunt Maxine @auntmaxineandtheblog.com says
These look and sounds delicious! And on a burger even better! Love ooey-gooey cheese!
Allison says
I was on pinterest and your recipe was the only one that came up that used fresh mozzarella and not the cheese sticks. Not that I don’t love me a stick of cheese but a fresh ball was all we had.
Allison says
Just made these little gems with my boyfriend, and they turned out amazing. We followed all the tips, only varying the seasonings as i make and flavor my own crumbs. we dipped them in a meat sauce i made a few days ago, and we are currently having a silent standoff as to who gets the last one. thank you!
Rebecca says
You’re VERY welcome!!! I am so glad you’ve enjoyed them! Please tell me who wins the standoff 😀
Allison says
Haha! We have definitely decided that they are our new thing…one question, what kind of oil did you use?
Rebecca says
I like sunflower oil or pure (not extra virgin) olive oil best. 😀
Norma says
I just made these tonight and they Taste better than I thought they would be. I couldn’t stop eating them!
Renee @ Awesome on $20 says
I am so extremely in love with everything about this, and I love that burger!
Sam says
We used to have these with proper sliced ham and Dijon mustard 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 Makes a really yum appetiser 👍🏼 Old school Pasta Di Piazza when they started in UK (I know Italian not french) but soooo good! Look forward to recreating it!
Rebecca says
I’m so glad someone else remembers these, Sam!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
That gooey cheese shot, the 2nd pic, omg that is dreamy!! Pinned 🙂
Chris says
Pinned and absolutely going to make these jewels. I pinned it before I even got to the end and said, “Make this to top a grilled burger”. Great recipe idea! Have a great weekend.
Melisa says
Shut your mouth on these. I’ve been staring at them for the last couple of days. They are calling to me. OMG.
Paula - bell'alimento says
Good golly miss Molly! Want. Now. Pretty. Please.
Jill says
That looks amazing! Once we have a kitchen again, it’s on the list for sure!
Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox says
Now, that’s my kind of steak!
Melissa from HungryFoodLove.com says
You keep on surprising me! This is such a clever idea.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Sweet baby J. Can I have like 20 of these?
Meseidy says
My kind of steak lady! Great add to a burger and it would be great on a salad too!