If you are craving a salty, briny snack that happens to have a deep-fried component, well, then, you can stop right here. Then, when I tell you we are also adding Blue Cheese to the mix…I mean, it’s got it all, right?
I think this might be one the ultimate classy bar snacks. And, it’s so danged easy! I mean, get your olives, stuff their little empty cavities with a creamy Blue Cheese, dredge in a flour/egg/Panko-Parmesan mixture, deep fry and … DONE!
If you want to be lazy–and I give you permission to do so–then go ahead and use pre-made Blue Cheese-Stuffed Olives. They are easy to find in your local liquor or specialty grocery store because they make a great garnish for a martini. Just be sure you dry off the “skin” of the olive as well as the end where the cheese is stuffed really well or the breading will not stick.
My experience with these pre-fab olives is that the cheese is pretty gooey-loose. I think it comes from sitting in the brine for who-knows-how-long on the shelf of that favorite liquor store.
And, c’mon…how hard is it to stuff a few measly olives with a morsel of Blue Cheese. So, go ahead, make the extra effort and do it right!
If you decide to serve this scrumptious little bites right after they are cooked, please let me warn you: THEY ARE HOT! So, put them on a paper-towel lined plate and let them cool a bit before you offer them to your guest, or yourself. I recommend cooking the whole batch, keeping them in a warm oven while you finish the remainder of the olives and then serving them with a silky Lemon-Garlic Aioli.
Note, while the recipe SAYS 4-6 servings, depending on your tastebuds, this may only be a 2-serving recipe. They are THAT good.
You’ve been warned!
Deep Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
Equipment
- Deep fry thermometer
Ingredients
- 36 large Spanish olives
- 1/4-1/3 cup creamy Blue cheese such as Gorgonzola
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- vegetable or peanut oil for frying
Instructions
- Before beginning to stuff olives, make sure they are very dry on the surface. Taking a small spoon, break off a chunk of blue cheese and gently stuff it inside the olive cavity. Place stuffed olives on a paper towel-lined tray, and continue until all 36 are stuffed.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pan or deep-fryer, add enough oil to fill the pan 1/3 of the way up the sides, or as directed by your deep-fryer's instructions. Heat the oil until a deep-frying thermometer reads 350°F or until a cube of bread, dropped into the oil, takes 2 minutes to brown.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 325° to keep olives warm once they are done cooking.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl or a piece of aluminum foil. Have the beaten ready eggs in another shallow bowl. Combine the Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a third bowl or another piece of foil.
- When oil is at proper temperature, place 5-8 olives in the bowl with the flour. Toss gently with a slotted spoon, fork or fingers until olives are coated with flour.
- Place the olives in the bowl with the beaten egg, coating each olive with egg. With a different slotted spoon (or fork), transfer the olives to the breadcrumb mixture and, using a third fork, turn the olives gently to cover with the breadcrumbs.
- Using a slotted spoon or an Asian "Spider," place the olives carefully in the hot oil and fry for 30-45 seconds or until golden brown. Very gently stir the olives in the oil so all sides fry evenly. Transfer the olives to a paper-towel covered oven-safe plate and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat until all olives are fried.
- Olives can be served individually with small forks for picking up, or you can skewer them on fancy picks. If you like, serve them with Lemon-Garlic Aioli.
