Crispy Eggplant Fritters With Smoked Mozzarella

I can honestly say I have made 1000 eggplant fritters. We used them in regular repertoire of amuse’s when I was in Garde Manger at the old Aureole on 52nd in Manhattan. Mainly when we were needing something less laborious. I always loved em. We usually cut in half, scored seasoned and pressed overnight if time permitted. But they will be fine if this step is skipped I found. Roast em till pulp is soft not dry. Scooped puréed with tahini eggs, fines herbs, cumin, coriander, maybe some sumac s & we, pulverized sifted panko then shaped into a cylindrical shape dropped again the pulverized sifted panko. Deep fried and either a tzatziki sauce, and micro greens or cumin oil, reduced red verjus, as a componet and goat cheese mousse quenelled on top and micro arugula or what ever . I make em ar home this way and family loves em.

• Brantley

• Dallas, Tx

• 8/30/2022

Fair warning... I changed the recipe quite a bit because I only had 1 small eggplant. I added some garlic, I sautéed some onions and spinach and threw that in too. I also put sharp cheddar because I didn't have smoked mozzarella. It was SO GOOD. So much flavor and amazing texture.

• gg1988

• New York, NY

• 4/24/2018

I tried this recipe after reading the reviews and I too cannot figure out what the one fork reviewers did differently. I sliced and cooked the eggplant per instruction. I substituted herbed breadcrumbs but found the recipe a bit salty in doing that so I will go back to plain next time and add my own seasoning. I made the balls the size of a golf ball, deep fried them in our small fryer. Color was beautiful and they held together nicely. I took them to a family get together and reheated them in the oven. They were extremely flavorful and not the bit greasy. Everyone devoured them.

• visum4us

• San Diego, CA

• 12/1/2013

I have made these several times and they are always a hit! I did a little changing, cut out alot of the breadcrumbs, used panko and parm instead and mixed everything together, I still left them a little wet. I made them the size of golfballs then stuffed.I used a little panko for the outside and then fried. I also serve with red sauce. Yhey are even a hit with my 10 yr old!

• kms71272

• Portland, Or

• 10/18/2011

I don't know what the reviewers who didn't care for the flavor or texture did differently, but my family and I found these very flavorful, and the texture was just fine. I cooked the eggplant for the full hour. It cooled while we went to the movies, and I guess it absorbed some moisture in that time. But a quick 10-15 minutes in the oven took care of that. I ended up with more cheese than I had eggplant mixture, but that's probably because my eggplants were medium-sized instead of large. This one goes in the "make again" file as far as we're concerned.

• TerranceDC

• Chevy Chase, MD

• 7/3/2011

Icky....my family loves just about everything. Nobody cared for this recipe.

• organicmommas

• Virginia

• 11/18/2010

I made this today for the first time and they were great. My only change for nex time: will add the zest from one lemon. A little messy but worth the effort. I only baked the eggplants for 40 minutes. That was enough for me. Definitely I will use some dipping sauce next time, maybe a greek yogurt sauce with finely chopped fresh parsley and lemon juice...

• AdiLucas

• Spain

• 4/12/2009

For such a time consuming recipe the end result was not worth it at all. My mix lacked a binding quality (very difficult to mold into balls with a cheese cube center). The most pronounced flavor was the Smoked Mozzarella (of course, I had nothing to do with making that) and of watery eggplant. I think I definitely did something very wrong because the other reviews seem to be so positive!! I will try this again only for my own peace of mind.

• umster23

• Winston-Salem, NC

• 12/22/2008

They came out pretty good, I didn't bake the eggplants for an hour - I didn't want them to be too dry, but b/c of that the center came out a little too mushy. Next time I'll bake them for about 30-45 min,but not a full hour. Oh and I used seasoned breadcrumbds which gave them more flavor, and in have the batch I added pancetta.

• mp126

• new york, ny

• 12/9/2008

We expected to go crazy over these....but they were just ok to us...too dense and not enough flavor.

• Anonymous

• 9/28/2008

These were simpy outstanding.

• Anonymous

• Boston, MA

• 4/10/2008

I also had a problem with the eggplant coming out too dry. Watch it carefully in the oven. Or maybe I had sliced it too thin. Definitely needs something to dip it in.

• blbooth

• Reading, MA

• 12/30/2007

Delicious and satisfying--with some marinara sauce and a salad, it would make a delightful meal.

• Anonymous

• seattle, wa

• 9/8/2007

Very good appetizer. When I made it, the eggplant came out too dry. I added an extra egg and blended in a food processor. Came out wonderfully in the end. A great recipe for people who do not usually like eggplant.

• ElegantBlackCat

• San Francisco

• 9/8/2007

This is a delicious use of my fresh garden eggplant. I've made this twice; the second time I added some sauteed mushrooms and will continue with that addition. I also tried fresh basil which was great, but the thyme was delicious too.The smoked mozz is a must. This recipe is definitely worth the time.

• rameye

• NY

• 8/17/2007