Mozzarella in Carrozza (Italian Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches)

I’m a sucker for food that makes for good theater. The dancing flames of a baked Alaska or the bravado of a tableside carved roast makes me giddy with delight. It’s one of the main reasons I have deep affection for mozzarella in carrozza—an Italian sandwich that puts all other grilled cheese experiences to shame.

The sandwich starts with the unassuming combination of mild mozzarella cheese sandwiched between slices of plain white bread. The drama begins when the sandwich is dipped in egg, dredged in bread crumbs, and then fried until the exterior is golden and crisp. There’s a brief suspenseful pause before it’s sliced into and separated with both hands in one sweeping motion, revealing an epic gooey cheese pull—you’re going to want to grab your camera for this.

Origins of Mozzarella in Carozza

While this fried grilled cheese sandwich is now a popular appetizer served in many Italian- American restaurants, it originated in Naples, where it was an example of cucina povera—“poor cuisine.” It was a way to make the best use of leftover or less-than-fresh ingredients—in this case, stale bread and scraps of mozzarella cheese. The Italian name for the sandwich, which translates to “mozzarella in a carriage,” is a playful nod to the way the melted cheese stretches to resemble the reins of a horse-drawn carriage. That’s a carriage ride I definitely want to take. 

Today in Naples, mozzarella in carrozza is often served as an appetizer in restaurants. It’s also a popular street food—vendors serve it fresh from the fryer and wrap it in brown paper so you can eat it on the go. In Italian American restaurants, the sandwich is often served accompanied by a zesty tomato sauce for dipping. I personally love it alongside a cup of simple tomato soup.

Tips for Making the Best Mozzarella in Carrozza

At first glance the recipe itself is simple—just two ingredients sandwiched together and quickly fried—but there are key steps to making a flavorful version that will stay assembled once fried and deliver the signature cheese pull. If not made properly, the sandwich can taste underseasoned, the exterior can brown before the cheese inside has fully melted, and, worst of all, the whole thing can fall apart in the pot of oil. Here's how to make sure you get a perfectly golden, perfectly melty, perfectly seasoned, perfectly in-one-piece sandwich.

Choose the Right Cheese

The Neoplitan version of this sandwich typically uses buffalo milk mozzarella, while the Roman version uses fior di latte, and both of those, along with the fresh balls of of mozzarella you’ll find in Italian stores and the specialty cheese section of grocery stores in the U.S. all work well. But the age of the cheese is what matters most. It’s tempting to reach for the most lusciously fresh, perhaps even still-warm mozz from your local cheesemaker when making this sandwich, but save that for your caprese salads and your crostini. Recall the humble roots of this sandwich, which was typically made witholder, leftover bits of mozzarella—in fact, the cheese was sometimes even slightly sour. This was for economical reasons, but the cheese selection served a practical purpose as well. 

Super-fresh mozzarella that is soft and oozing milk has a high moisture content, and this excess moisture can leak into the bread making for a soggy sandwich. Instead, still use a high-quality mozzarella that is fresh, but not same-day fresh. You can ask your cheesemonger for an older ball of mozz, or buy it super-fresh and let it hang out in your fridge until it firms up—two days should do it. When you are ready to make your sandwich, give the ball of mozzarella a squeeze—it should be firm and milk should not ooze out. If it’s still too soft, refrigerate the cheese for another day or two. To further reduce moisture and diminish the risk of a soggy sandwich, I recommend taking an extra step of pressing the cheese dry with paper towels after slicing it for the sandwich. 

Another great cheese option is to use a low-moisture mozzarella—the kind you find in many major grocery stores sold pre-sliced and ready for sandwiches or as blocks wrapped tightly in plastic. A perk to using low-moisture cheese is that it’s ready to use right away. There’s no need to let it sit until firm or to blot dry before using. Low-moisture mozzarella might not have the fresh milk taste that fresh mozzarella does, but it melts well and creates that epic cheese pull that makes this sandwich so fun to enjoy.

Choose the Right Bread Crumbs

After you’ve selected your cheese, next up is making a bread crumb mixture to coat the sandwich. I generally default to plain panko breadcrumbs for their crunch and versatility. I breaded my first sandwich with panko, and once fried, it was incredibly crunchy. But, dare I say, it was actually too crunchy? It cut into the roof of my mouth as I chomped down on the sandwich and distracted from the stretchy cheese prize within. After various tests, I ultimately found bread crumb perfection with standard store-bought unseasoned bread crumbs that are uniform and fine in texture. Make a point to double check the label when purchasing bread crumbs. You’ll want to avoid anything labeled “Italian-Style,” which typically have seasonings added to them that don’t work well with this sandwich. The plain breadcrumbs browned nicely and delivered a crisp, even shell without going overboard on craggy crunch. 

While I’ve seen many versions of the sandwich in Italy that double dredge the sandwich in bread crumbs to ensure an even breadcrumb coating that holds up when fried, when I tried the double dredge technique, I found the outer shell too hard and overly crunchy, reminiscent to the effect the panko bread crumbs had on the sandwich. sticks with a single dredge with plain fine bread crumbs—this creates an even coating and a sandwich that fries up perfectly golden.

Season the Sandwich

Since the main ingredients—white bread and mozzarella cheese—are both very mild, you need to add seasoning elsewhere for the sandwich to be great. At the very least, you’ll want to add salt and pepper to the bread crumbs. But I also like to add some salty, flavorful pecorino to the egg wash. Pecorino adds a tangy and almost spicy note to jazz up the mellow, milky mozzarella. 

While I like to keep this sandwich simple, you can absolutely incorporate flavor into the sandwich a few additional ways. Layer some anchovies or a sprinkle fresh herbs like basil or parsley directly on the cheese before closing. You could also whisk minced garlic or additional dried or fresh herbs into the egg wash as well. 

If you do choose to add other flavorings to the sandwich, just don’t add them to the exterior bread crumb coating, as this runs the risk of burning the exterior of the sandwich—the delicate herbs or garlic would burn before the bread crumbs turn golden brown, giving the sandwich a bitter or charred flavor. Adding them to a more sheltered layer, blanketed by the mozzarella and bread, allows them to shine without being scorched.

Consider Some Mayo

In my research I saw versions of the sandwich that spread a thin layer of butter on the inside of the bread before layering the cheese. This was to boost flavor (because of course a little extra fat makes everything taste better) but also to serve as a “glue” to keep the sandwich secure when dredging and deep frying. Inspired by this idea, I tested this technique using mayonnaise. While mayonnaise isn’t a traditional ingredient in a mozzarella in carozza, I love the slight tang that it adds to the sandwich, and the guarantee it gives to keep the sandwich snug when dipping in the egg wash and dredging. If you’re a mozzarella in carozza purist, feel free to omit the mayo from this recipe.

Don't Overload the Cheese

Don’t be tempted to overload your sandwich with as much cheese as possible. I initially got a little greedy, and made a sandwich with about half an inch’s worth of mozzarella cheese and popped it into my frying oil. Once the sandwich was well-browned all over, I removed it from the oil and got my camera ready to record an epic cheese pull. I cut into the sandwich to find a solid stripe of cheese between the bread slices. No ooze, no pull, no stretch. What a disappointment. Turns out there really is such a thing as too much cheese. Just 2 1/2 ounces of mozzarella per sandwich turned out to be the perfect amount of cheese for optimal meltiness.

Don't Crank Up the Heat

The art of a properly made mozzarella in carrozza is in timing the frying step so that the exterior is perfectly golden and crisp all over while the cheese has just reached a fully molten stage. The key to this is to fry the breaded sandwich at a lower-than-typical deep frying temperature; instead of 350 or 375℉, I drop the oil down to 325℉. Frying the sandwiches at this relatively low temperature gave the cheese the time it needed to melt before the breading got too brown or burned.

Rest, Then Slice

Once the sandwich is fried and golden, you’ll be tempted to cut and enjoy right away, but be patient and wait about 90 seconds before opening up the sandwich. This time is specific for a good reason: The rest gives the molten cheese filling time to cool just enough so that it is still warm and soft, and not a burning hot liquid mess once cut into. This ensures you won’t burn your mouth at first bite and that the cheese holds together when pulled apart. 

All that’s left is to grab hold, pull, appreciate the beauty, then eat the sandwich before the stretchy reins of the carriage shrink back to their solid cheese state.