When you go out for lunch or dinner with friends, there is no better way to open the dance. The Italian-style mixed fried food it is one of the most convivial dishes ever, perfect as an appetizer, aperitif or single dish. There isn't just one: it can be sea, land, salty and even sweet. Each region has its own version, from the Neapolitan cuoppo to the Piedmontese mixed fry. And if the ingredients change throughout the boot, one thing is certain: you need to know how to fry well.

The rules for perfect mixed fried foods

Let's start here: how do you prepare a well done mixed fry?

Let's start from choice of oil: it is preferable to use seed oil, such as peanut oil, which has a higher smoke point and allows you to fry without burning or developing harmful substances. Extra virgin olive oil? It is possible to use it, but its intensity may cover other flavors.

Also there amount of oil it is important: it must be abundant, so that the ingredients are completely immersed. It also needs to be hot. With the bread crumb test, you should be okay: once immersed in oil, if it immediately returns to the surface, surrounded by bubbles, then it's time to fry.

At this point you begin to fry a few pieces at a time, to avoid the risk of lowering the temperature of the oil and obtaining a slightly crunchy and very greasy fried food. The ideal, in the case of a mixture, is to fry the different qualities and sizes individually, in order to carry out a correct and uniform cooking.

To make the fried food very crunchy, rely on breading. Only white flour, durum wheat semolina or with a batter.
The tempura recipe, based on very cold sparkling water and rice flour, is perfect: its secret lies in the thermal shock between cold batter and boiling oil, which guarantees a light and extra crunchy result.

All that remains is to move on to the most popular mixed fried foods in our country.

Mixed fried fish

What is fried fish? The name explains it all: the paranza is the typical Italian trawler fishing boat. They are mainly used small fish, always different according to the regions of Italy and the seasons: squid, shrimp, mullet, cod, sole or anchovies are floured, fried in boiling oil and served with a few lemon wedges.

Mixed fried Neapolitan: the cuoppo!

At the top of the list of mixed fried foods, the Neapolitan one cannot be missing, o ’cuopp, which can be from the sea or from the land, but is always served in the iconic foil. What is it made of? That of fish includes anchovies, squid and battered octopus. Always in combination with the zeppoline of pasta grown with seaweed.

His version of Earth it is among the most opulent mixed fried foods there is, but its richness does not prevent a true Neapolitan from ordering it without hesitation as an appetizer, before pizza. Inside you can find potato croquettes, fried mozzarella, pasta omelettes, montanarine, zeppoline of grown pasta and arancini. A true paradise that contains the concept of Campania street food in a cuoppo.

Mixed fried Piedmontese

The Piedmontese mixed fry is a symbolic dish of the peasant cuisine that it brings together sweet and salt. Tradition has it that there are 18 ingredients to combine, from the most varied cuts of meat (including offal) to vegetables, such as carrots, courgettes and artichokes, up to apples, amaretti and semolina.

If you can't wait to fry, go back up and browse ours gallery of mixed fried foods, cuoppi and delicacies: you will find many recipes, original combinations, accompanying sauces and ideas to compose your very personal mixed fried food as you like.