The Best Marinated Mozzarella. We are cheese lovers in this house and are always looking for new ways to try our favorites. This marinated fresh mozzarella is such a great way to dress up fresh mozzarella. It comes together quickly and not only is a great addition to any charcuterie board, appetizer, or salad but also makes the prettiest gift as well! As this requires a marinating time, it is also perfect to make ahead, saving you time before serving.
What Do You Need To Make Marinated Mozzarella Balls?
- Fresh mozzarella- I used mozzarella pearls for this recipe.
- Good quality olive oil- Quality counts in something like this because it's a raw product. I always use Moire's Life, it is a great quality brand that comes from Kalamata, Greece
- Green olives- you could also use kalamata is you prefer.
- Garlic Cloves-Fresh, peeled
- Variety of herbs- I used fresh rosemary, thyme, and basil.
- Black peppercorns- you can use other peppercorn varieties if you prefer.
- Crushed red pepper
What Is The Difference Between Fresh Mozzarella And Regular Mozzarella?
One major difference is in the making. Fresh mozzarella is typically made in smaller, handcrafted batches from whole milk. Regular mozzarella, also known as low-moisture mozzarella, is soured for longer and then dried so that it has a longer shelf life. Because of this, it might taste saltier. In most baked dishes that have mozzarella, you want to go with regular mozzarella. However, fresh mozzarella is delicious served cold on a salad or marinated like this!
How To Make The Marinated Mozzarella
I promise, this is going to be so easy! Are you ready, here we go....
To make the marinated mozzarella, simply layer ingredients in a mason jar as shown. If this is going to be a gift watch the arrangement to make it beautiful. When all your ingredients are in there, pour olive oil to fill up the rest of the jar and put on the lid to seal. This will be ready in about 5 hours, but if you want you could leave it in the jar for up to 3 days.
Gifting Ideas
If you are looking for a gift for friends and fam, but you're not sure what to get, or maybe you're for a gift for the foodie in your life, this would be perfect. It comes together quickly and is very easy to make. There are several types of canning jars that you could get, like decorative jars on amazon or something like that. The jars would look so pretty tied with a bow or wrapping paper. You don't want to wrap it completely with paper, of course, as you want people to see what you are giving them.
Suggestions For Serving The Best Marinated Mozzarella
This is a super versatile dish! Some ways I like to serve this is as an appetizer, part of a charcuterie board, threaded through skewers to make tapas, as a topping on salads, as an addition to wraps or sandwiches, or to eat on its own. I do not recommend throwing away the olive oil after eating the mozzarella and olives, it has the perfect flavor to cook with and would be great to cook meat or eggs with, or to drizzle over salads.
The Best Marinated Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves
- 6-10 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- ½-3/4 cups green olives
- 1- ½ cup quality olive oil
Instructions
- Layer all ingredients in a pint mason jar. Make sure to mix up your ingredients as you layer. When is it is almost to the top of the jar, stop filling. Pour olive oil over all until it fills the jar. Marinate for at least 5 hours or up to 3 days. Serve as an appetizer, on a charcuterie board, on salads, sandwiches, etc. Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!