Burrata with Crispy 'Nduja & Gremolata

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 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 indulgent, creamy and SO good, 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! We fry it for a couple of minutes so it crisps up slightly then drizzle it over the creamy burrata, we know, it's SO good!

Although there are a couple of speciality ingredients it's 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!

How 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 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.

More appetizers you might like

• Smoked Salmon Crostini
• Mortadella, Pistachio and Burrata Crostini
• Stracchino and Sausage Crostini
• Whipped Ricotta Dip with Roasted Tomatoes
• Italian Farinata Chickpea Flatbread (La Cecina Toscana)
• Fried Zucchini Pizza Bites

Ingredients

Makes 6 - 8 servings

• 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)

Method

1. 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.

2. Drizzle a little olive oil in a non stick pan and fry the 'Nduja until slightly crispy (about 2-3 minutes).

3. 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.

4. Serve with char-grilled ciabatta bread.

Kitchen 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 serving this for two people 1 burrata is usually enough but if serving for a crowd we'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.