The Neapolitan Scagliozzi tasty snacks or scagnuzzielli are pieces of fried polenta, enriched with salami and pecorino cheese, which can be prepared both traditionally and with an air fryer.
However, the version found in fry shops and that everyone loves in Naples is the enriched and super flavorful one, strictly fried.
The recipe involves cooking the polenta with water, cornmeal, and oil, then adding other ingredients like salami and pecorino cheese, and finally letting it cool before cutting it into pieces and frying it (or cooking it in an air fryer) to achieve a crispy outside and soft inside.
Often, in fact, the rich scagliozzi are also called Migliaccielli or stuffed Scagliuozzi depending on the area or shape.
The idea is the same: to turn polenta into more than just a side dish, but a true flavor bomb, perfect on its own!
Perfect as an appetizer, snack, or “delicious” side dish, they are very easy to make and guarantee you a tremendous success with friends.
Below I leave you more delicious recipes with polenta and then we’ll go together right below the photo to discover how to prepare the Neapolitan Scagliozzi tasty Snacks!
See you soon with the next recipe, Ana Amalia!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Frying, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Neapolitan Scagliozzi Tasty Snacks
- 10.5 oz cornmeal (instant kind is fine too)
- 1 qt water
- 1 tsp salt
- 3.5 oz salami
- 3.5 oz pecorino cheese
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground)
- 1 qt sunflower oil (or peanut oil for frying)
How to Prepare Neapolitan Scagliozzi Tasty Snacks
Prepare the Polenta (Base of the Scagliozzi): Place the water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add the salt.
Add the cornmeal gradually, stirring vigorously and quickly with a whisk (or a wooden spoon) to prevent lumps from forming.
Continue to cook the polenta, stirring continuously, following the times indicated on the package (usually 5 8 minutes for quick-cooking polenta), or 40 minutes for Taragna polenta.
The polenta should be very firm and detach from the sides of the pot, at this point while still on the stove and very hot, turn off the heat and immediately add the diced salami, pecorino cheese, and a generous grind of black pepper.
Mix very quickly: the heat of the polenta will slightly melt the cheese, blending all the flavors well.
Cool and Cut: Pour the rich mixture into the baking pan, level it to about 0.4 inches in height, and let it cool and solidify completely.
Fry: Cut into triangles, put the seed oil in a high-edged pan (or a wok) and bring it to an ideal frying temperature (about 340/355°F).
If you don’t have a thermometer, a good trick is to insert a toothpick: if bubbles form around it, it is ready!Fry the scagliozzi a few at a time to avoid lowering the oil temperature.
Let them brown well on all sides until they are a beautiful golden and inviting color.Drain the scagliozzi with a slotted spoon and place them to drain the excess oil on a tray lined with absorbent paper.
Salt them immediately while they are still hot to make the salt stick well.
Serve them piping hot.After preparing the polenta and adding the ingredients, spread it in a pan and let it cool as described above.
Cut the polenta into pieces and drizzle a little oil on the surface. Place the pieces in the air fryer basket and cook them at 390°F for about 10 minutes.
For a more even browning, you can turn the pieces halfway through cooking.
Storage, Tips, and Variants for Neapolitan Scagliozzi Tasty Snacks
They can be stored in the refrigerator well sealed in an airtight container for 2 days. You can reheat them in an air fryer or oven for 10 minutes at 300°F.
Depending on the area where they are prepared, there are other versions that include grated cheese and also pork cracklings instead of salami.
There are also versions without salami and without cheese.
The air fryer version is much lighter and the scagliozzi remain crunchier and drier on the outside.
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