The Art of Fritto Misto: Italy’s Healthiest Fried Food

It is important to note that traditional fritto misto is not a heavily fried food. The coating of the nuggets should be light and flaky rather than brown and crispy. The ideal color of fritto misto is light and nearly transparent. If the morsels are brown, they have been fried too long or coated with too much oily batter. After indulging in fritto misto, your fingers should not be covered in oil that transferred from the food. Unlike many fried foods, fritto misto is actually healthy if prepared correctly. The delicate batter should almost melt in your mouth because it is so light. There should not be a heavy aftertaste of oil. Instead, the focus on the flavor should be on the freshness of the vegetables or seafood.

Before frying, the food should be at room temperature and completely dry. All of the pieces need to be the same size to ensure uniform cooking. The quality of the frying oil plays the biggest role in how the fritto misto turns out. Good oil choices include peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil. You want to choose an oil that can withstand high temperatures. It is also important to use fresh oil so that the flavors are not contaminated. You can use a fryer or a cast iron skillet to heat the oil and prepare the fritto misto. The food should be fried once the oil has reached a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.

No Italian meal is complete without a perfectly paired wine. The best type of drink to pair with fritto misto is a sparkling wine. The delicateness of the fritto misto is the ideal complement to the bite of sparkling wine. The zestiness and zip of a sparkling wine will truly bring out the authentic flavors of the fritto misto.

Best Wine Pairing: Sparkling Wine / Spumante Brut Carpineto