Southern Fried Cheese Bites with Hot Honey Comeback Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Cubes of sharp cheddar get a buttermilk-and-panko double coat, then a hard freeze — the trick that lets the crust turn deep golden before the inside has a chance to leak out. They fry in 90 seconds and come out shatter-crisp with a molten, pull-apart center. A tangy Southern comeback sauce spiked with hot honey cuts the richness.

Ingredients

• 12 oz block sharp yellow cheddar, cold
• 4 oz block low-moisture mozzarella or Monterey Jack, cold
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• flaky salt, for finishing
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced chives or scallion greens

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp hot sauce, such as Crystal or Louisiana-style
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Make the sauce first so it can chill: warm the honey and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan or microwave for 30 seconds, then whisk together with the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Cut the cold cheddar and mozzarella into scant 1-inch cubes — you want roughly 40 pieces. Keep them cold; warm cheese smears in the breading. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
3. Set up three shallow bowls. Bowl 1: whisk the flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bowl 2: beat the eggs with the buttermilk. Bowl 3: the panko, crushed lightly with your hands so it clings better.
4. Working with a handful of cubes at a time, roll them in the seasoned flour, then the egg wash, then the panko, pressing the crumbs on firmly. Return each cube to the egg wash and panko a second time for a full double coat — this second layer is what seals the cheese in. Set the cubes on the parchment, not touching.
5. Freeze the breaded cubes uncovered on the sheet for at least 2 hours, until rock solid all the way through (overnight is fine; after 2 hours you can transfer them to a zip-top bag and keep them frozen up to 1 month).
6. When ready to fry, pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy Dutch oven and heat over medium-high to 360°F on a clip-on thermometer. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan nearby.
7. Fry the bites straight from the freezer, 8 to 10 at a time so the oil doesn't drop below 340°F. Cook 60 to 90 seconds, turning once, until deeply golden and crackly. Do not push past 2 minutes — that's when they blow out.
8. Lift the bites to the rack with a spider or slotted spoon, season immediately with flaky salt, and let the oil come back to 360°F before the next batch.
9. Rest the bites 2 minutes so the molten center sets just enough to hold, then pile them on a platter, scatter with chives, and serve with the cold hot honey comeback sauce for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Char-Grilled Oysters with Garlic-Worcestershire Butter

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem