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The creamiest burrata cheese appetizer topped with Parmigiano Reggiano, crispy ‘Nduja, and zesty gremolata. Spread it on char-grilled ciabatta bread for the ultimate Italian-inspired appetizer!
It’s creamy, cheesy, spicy, and zesty all at the same time and just so addictive that you’ll be making it over and over (no exaggeration).
If you’re not familiar with burrata it’s made of an outer shell of mozzarella and filled with stracciatella cream (a creamy cow’s milk cheese).
It’s super indulgent, creamy and SO delicious, if you haven’t tried it yet you need to fix that asap. You should be able to find burrata in larger supermarkets or Italian food stores.
As for ‘Nduja? It’s an ingredient you have to get your hands on. It’s a Calabrian spicy spreadable salami that’s cured so you don’t need to cook it and can spread it on slices of bread as a snack.
You can use it to top pizzas (see our Nduja Pizza recipe), add to pasta sauces like our Shrimp Spaghetti with ‘Nduja and Lemon, or in ways like this! I fry it just for a couple of minutes so it crisps up slightly then drizzle it over the creamy burrata, I know, it’s SO good!
Although there are a couple of speciality ingredients in this recipe it’s super simple and takes no more than 10 minutes to prepare plus it is so impressive. Serve this up to guests and they are guaranteed to be blown away.
Ingredients – what you need
To make this recipe you’ll need burrata cheese, ‘Nduja (spreadable salami), Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley, lemon zest, and garlic.
See the photo below that shows you all of the ingredients you need!
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Pin ItHow to make Burrata with Crispy ‘Nduja – step by step
Put the garlic, parsley and lemon zest in a small pile on a cutting board and finely chop it until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. A Mezzaluna (half-moon) Italian knife makes this super easy but you could also use a knife (photos 1-4).
Drizzle a little olive oil in a non stick pan and fry the ‘Nduja until slightly crispy (about 2-3 minutes) (photos 5 & 6).
Arrange the burrata cheese on a serving plate and top with a grated Parmigiano Reggiano, a couple of spoonfuls of ‘Nduja, and then sprinkle over some gremolata (photos 7 & 8).
Serve with chargrilled ciabatta bread.
Top tips for making this recipe
- Take the burrata out of the fridge around 30 minutes before serving so it’s not too cold.
- You can make as much or as little of this as you like. If you’re just serving this for two people 1 burrata is usually enough but if serving for a crowd I’d go for 3 burrata cheeses.
- Don’t buy ‘Nduja if it’s sold in a jar it’s too pureed and doesn’t taste great.
- Don’t add any olive oil to the gremolata you should be able to sprinkle it over the burrata like breadcrumbs (see photo 4 above)
- There’s no need to add any salt to the recipe because the parmesan and ‘Nduja are already well seasoned.
More appetizers you might like
- Smoked Salmon Crostini
- Stracchino and Sausage Crostini
- Whipped Ricotta Dip with Roasted Tomatoes
- Italian Farinata Chickpea Flatbread (La Cecina Toscana)
- Fried Zucchini Pizza Bites
If you’ve tried this Burrata with Crispy ‘Nduja & Gremolata or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Burrata with Crispy ‘Nduja and Gremolata
Ingredients
- 3 burrata cheeses
- 3-4 tbsp of ‘Nduja
- 3 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded large
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Chargrilled ciabatta bread, for serving
Instructions
- Put the garlic, parsley and lemon zest in a small pile on a cutting board and finely chop it until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. A Mezzaluna (half moon) Italian knife makes this super easy but you could also use a knife.
- Drizzle a little olive oil in a non stick pan and fry the ‘Nduja until slightly crispy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Arrange the burrata cheese on a serving plate and top with a grated Parmigiano Reggiano, a couple of spoonfuls of ‘Nduja and then sprinkle over some gremolata.
- Serve with char-grilled ciabatta bread.
Notes
- Take the burrata out of the fridge around 30 minutes before serving so it’s not too cold.
- You can make as much or as little of this as you like. If you’re just serving this for two people 1 burrata is usually enough but if serving for a crowd I’d go for 3 burrata cheeses.
- Don’t buy ‘Nduja if it’s sold in a jar it’s too pureed and doesn’t taste great.
- Don’t add any olive oil to the gremolata you should be able to sprinkle it over the burrata (see photo 4 above)
- There’s no need to add any salt to the recipe because the parmesan and ‘Nduja are already well seasoned.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for a gathering at my sister’s house and everyone loved it! I’ll definitely make this again.
This was truly divine. Made it tonight as written. Did the grilled bread and the gremolata in advances. I also grated the fresh parm in advance. Friend the Nduja just before serving and placed the pieces of grilled bread on the platter. It was a huge hit at a dinner party. The flavors married beautifully. BTW, I got the Ndujafrom Amazon after trying Italian markets, whole foods and Wegmans.. It was perfect. I will make this for special people many times over.
Ciao Stephanie, Thanks so much for your review, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it also that’s great to know you could get the Nduja from Amazon since it can be tricky to find!
Thanks for your tips!
Can you do amy part of this in advance of company?
Hi Nancy, you can make the gremolata and fry the nduja and store them in the fridge. It’s up to you if you want to heat the Nduja back up before serving or not. I recommend taking the burrata out of the fridge at least 30 mins before serving so it’s not too cold. If you’re making char-grilled bread (crostini) for serving that can be made in advance too. Enjoy 🙂