Fried Olives for Aperitivo

EAT

RITA'S KITCHEN

Fried Olives for Aperitivo

The perfect salty, cheesy little bite to enjoy with a cold glass of wine on a summer evening. Promise you can’t have just one.

By Rita K. Mashkova

August 01, 2024

TOTAL TIME

30 Minutes

"What’s better than something salty and crunchy to go with a cold glass of wine? These cheese-stuffed fried olives are the perfect thing to serve for aperitivo and will be an absolute crowd-pleaser. I like to use low-moisture mozzarella here because its firmer texture is easy to stuff into the olives, plus it melts beautifully. Dried parsley and garlic and a bit of parmigiano add extra flavor to the breading and make it irresistibly crisp. Fry these up just before serving and enjoy hot."

Ingredients

6 servings

1

8-oz jar large, pitted olives (about 25-30 total)
4

oz low moisture mozzarella cheese
2/3

cup flour
2

eggs
1

cup breadcrumbs
1/4

cup parmigiano cheese
1

tbsp dried parsley
1

tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
cooking oil
lemon wedges (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1

Drain olives and set aside to dry. Slice your mozzarella into very small rectangles that are the size of the space inside your pitted olives. Stuff each olive with a piece of cheese.

Step 2

Place your flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. Season the flour with a little bit of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Beat the eggs with a little salt. Add parmigiano, dried parsley, garlic powder, a little salt, and pepper to breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Note: because the olives are already salty, you don’t want to overdo it with the salt in this step.

Step 3

Dredge the stuffed olives by first coating in flour, then egg wash, then breadcrumbs.

Step 4

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat 1 inch of neutral cooking oil over medium-high heat. Fry the olives in batches of 5-8 olives for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown all over. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Step 5

To serve, drizzle with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and enjoy hot with a glass of cold wine. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

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Fried Olives for Aperitivo