Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives

made with St. Pete's Select Blue Cheese

We promised you some holiday appetizer recipes, and this recipe will not disappoint. These salty snacks are a sure-fire way to impress your guests!


Ingredients

Olives:

  • 12 oz Castelvetrano Olives
  • 4 oz St. Pete's Select
  • 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 ½ cups AP Flour
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Pepper
  • Cooking Spray (like canola, avocado, or olive oil)


Calabrian Chile Paste Sauce:

This sauce is from Bon Appetit. We love it with all things blue cheese and use it all the time!

  • 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. Calabrian chile paste (depending on heat preference)
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 1Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste
  • ½ tsp. honey
  • ½tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt


Steps:

  1. Make sauce. Mix chile paste, oil, vinegar, tomato paste, honey, and salt in a small bowl to combine. Cover and chill. This can be made up to 3 days ahead.

Olive time.

  1. Drain the olives and thoroughly pat dry. Crumble up the 4oz of SPS blue cheese and stuff each olive. Refrigerate until chilled and firm.
  2. Grab 3 bowls. In the first bowl combine the flour, garlic, and pepper. In the second bowl, whisk together the 3 eggs. In the third bowl, add the panko crumbs.
  3. Working in small batches, dip it in the flour mixture to fully coat, then in the beaten eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs. Each olive should be fully covered. Place on a plate in a single layer. Chill for about 5-10 minutes.
    • One technique to ensure each olive is fully coated is to roll them in between the palms of your hands before placing on the plate in a single layer.
  4. Once you are ready to fry, heat your air fryer to 400°F. Spray the olives lightly with the cooking oil. When the air fryer is hot, cook the olives for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip/shake the olives and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Carefully transfer olives to a serving dish. You can always bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes as well.
  5. Enjoy!