Thank you Carapelli Olive Oil for sponsoring this post. For more information and a store locator, please visit CarapelliUSA.com and be sure to check out Carapelli’s social channels: Facebook and Instagram.
These Fried Shrimp Balls are boasting in rich Italian flavors thanks to Carapelli Unfiltered Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They are easy to make and are a perfect appetizer for the upcoming holidays!
The Romans had a parable, “Partes humani cultus necessariae vinum ... atque oleum olivarum,” which means, in essence, “The necessary parts of human culture are wine and olive oil.” From the Neolithic period, wine opened up trade and spurred on the Greeks to colonize much of the coastal Mediterranean. In essence, wine had a ‘civilizing’ effect on those cultures who cultivated vines and indulged wine at meals – “Wine is the fruit of the vine, but etiquette is the fruit of the wine,” as a similar parable holds. Olive oil, too, had similar civilizing effects, ranging from a primitive source of preservation, to skin care and essential nutrients, to important source of trade revenue. In fact, the Romans even devised olive cultivation as a means to privately financing road construction and maintenance in North Africa – by tying the upkeep of the roads to ownership of roadside olive groves.
As you might be able to tell from my recipes, olive oil is a cornerstone ingredient in my kitchen. Versatile, delicious, and supremely healthy, it’s an ingredient that, in all honesty, I really can’t imagine trying to cook without.
With that said, I am a firm believer that recipes are the sum of their ingredients in terms of quality – and the oil you use is assuredly no exception. In general, you want the oil you use to be dense, slightly nutty, a sort of ‘nuance of nature’ that manages to be remarkably flavorful without being overpowering. Naturally, that perfectly describes today’s product Carapelli Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is cold-extracted, unfiltered, and all natural, allowing it to retain its naturally cloudy and rustic appearance, with heightened flavor and body, meaning it will pair excellently with beef, lamb, and greens. Carapelli Olive Oil, very simply, offers exquisite, reliable quality and flavor, via olives nurtured by nature, and harvested only at the optimal harvest time.
To demonstrate this point, we come to today’s recipe – Italian Style Shrimp Balls.
To start things off, we melt butter in a cast iron pan with Carapelli Unfiltered Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and then we sauté onion, garlic, celery, and zucchini until they are tender and the garlic is fragrant. After that, we mince about four cups of shrimp and add that to the pan, and continue sautéing for about two minutes.
Once that’s done, place the mixture into a large bowl, and add in chopped parsley and basil, the seasonings listed below, along with grated cheese, fresh lemon zest, and two eggs. Mix that well, and then blend in the breadcrumbs.
Now comes the fun part – getting your hands dirty.
We’re going to need to begin forming the mixture into balls roughly one inch in diameter – but I doubt Zeus will strike you down if you prefer them a tad larger, though I would advise against forming them any smaller.
Now, another fun part – more raw eggs, and more breadcrumbs. Can you guess what’s coming next?
Beat the eggs into a wash, and set the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl and then dredge the balls in the egg mixture, and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. Yes, this is a dirty business, but this is the delicacy you’ve chosen.
After that’s done, heat a few tablespoons of Carapelli Unfiltered Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large cast iron frying pan, and begin frying the balls until they reach a nice golden coloration.
Then simply serve with some extra grated cheese and lemon wedges.
Italian Fried Shrimp Balls
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 dozen Shrimp Balls 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups of fresh uncooked shrimp - minced
- Carapelli Unfiltered Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying
- 2 tbs. butter
- 3 cloves of garlic - chopped
- 1/2 cup of red onion - chopped
- 1/2 cup grated zucchini
- 4 cups fresh shrimp - minced
- 1/2 cup of celery - about 2 stalks - chopped
- 1/4 cup of Romano cheese - grated
- 4 - 5 fresh basil leaves - chopped
- 1/4 cup of fresh Italian parsley - stems removed and chopped
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups of Italian bread crumbs - unseasoned
- 1 cup of seasoned Italian bread crumbs
Instructions
- Melt the butter with 2 tbs. of olive oil in a large cast iron frying pan.
- Sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and zucchini until the tender.
- Add the shrimp and sauté, for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place the mixture into a mixing bowl; add the parsley and basil, seasonings, grated cheese, lemon zest and 2 eggs; mix well. Blend in the bread crumbs.
- Shape into balls about 1 inch in diameter.
- Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a small, shallow bowl and place the seasoned bread crumbs in another shallow bowl.
- Heat a few tbs. of olive oil in a large cast iron frying pan.
- Dip and coat each shrimp ball in the egg mixture, then roll in the bread crumbs.
- Fry in the skillet over a medium heat until a beautiful golden color appears on all sides.
- Place in a dish prepared with paper towels.
- Serve with extra grated cheese and lemon wedges.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
For more information regarding Carapelli Unfiltered Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or to find at a store near you, please visit CarapelliUSA.com and be sure to check out Carapelli’s social channels: Facebook and Instagram.
Enjoy with Love!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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Monidipa Dutta says
For me, Italia food is love... And this looks so yummy! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Anna MV says
These look incredibly yummy and I'm not a "shrimp" person. Do you think the recipe would work with another meat?
Living the Gourmet says
Dear Anna,
You most certainly may use crabmeat, drained well, salmon, oysters or canned tuna, again drained well.
Thank you for stopping by and visiting.
xo Catherine
Gloria says
OMG....this look AMAZING. I am always on the hunt for really good olive oil. I will see if I can find this at the store. These tasty little shrimp balls would be the hit of any holiday party.
Claudia Lamascolo says
Pass me the whole bowl. I love shrimp and I am certain with these delicious flavors in that olive oil these are heavenly in flavors!
DAVID J MYERS says
Catherine, Great looking appetizer for a wine tasting or holiday party! Something we've never had either... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Stacie says
I have to make these! I've never heard of anything like this before. They look so good!
Pavani says
Those Italian fried shrimp balls look sooo crispy and delicious. They are going to be perfect appetizer during the holiday season.
Alexandra says
I am SO craving these right now. They look and sound absolutely delicious 🙂
Thank you for sharing this delicious looking recipe!
All the best,
Alexandra
http://www.itsnotcomplicatedrecipes.com
angiesrecipes says
Wish I could reach in and grab a few to try! They look amazingly delicious.
Dayna Hoskin says
OMG! These look absolutely delicious! Hubby and I have only just started venturing into cooking seafood at home, so we'll definitely be bookmarking and trying this one!
Brittnie says
They look incredible and more importantly easy to make! Saving this recipe for my next cooking night.
Lisa says
I live half the year in Italy, but have never tried anything like this! They look delicious, and will be looking out for them!
Mahy Elamin says
Oooh, this looks SO good! Would love to try this. A simple list of ingredients is what I love. Thank you for a great recipe!
Joanna says
I always use olive oil in my cooking, it is healthier and gives a better flavour to the dishes. Your shrimp balls sound delicious, I never had shrimp other than fried or grilled before.
Jyothi (Jo) says
Wait ..did you say Shrimp balls? That's brilliant. I have to try this recipe, because it looks absolutely delicious. Wont mind popping a couple of it in mouth right away
Dan Zehr says
Oh yum! My whole family would go crazy for these! Wow and wow, this is so delicious and it makes my mouth watering. Looks VERY tasty!
Yeah Lifestyle says
These look so delicious and have my mouth watering! I love shrimp so will definitely be giving these a try!
Sara Welch says
My husband would really enjoy some of these. He is a freak about shrimps and seafood.
Noel Lizotte says
Such an elegant appetizer! Perfect with the before dinner glass of wine, I'm sure!
Lauren Vavala says
I've made shrimp cakes before, but never little bite-size balls like these! What a delicious appetizer! I also love this olive oil...the unfiltered variety is in my cabinet right now!
Catherine Santiago Jose says
Wow! Another great and clever recipe. Loved the idea and creativity you've done in this recipe, can't wait to make this at home.
Hola Cheska says
Hello girl! This recipe looks amazing. The pictures are so artistic. Love the preset you use. For this next thanksgiving I am writing down some new recipes and I will be trying this one instead of the traditional recipe with adobo. Thank you for sharing!
Cryst says
If I could follow this recipe, my family would love you forever, lol.
Veena Azmanov says
Oh, this reminds me of my mom. She made shrimp balls often. We loved it so much. Been years since I had any. I must try this Italian style. Sounds yum.
Jasmine Hewitt says
i've never heard of shrimp balls. I do often fry shrimp whole, but never made anything like this. Intriguing!
Evelyn Hernandez says
I was looking for a shrimp appetizer recipe for our get together next week, this is perfect!
Marisa Franca says
No household should be without delicious olive oil. When we first came to this country it wasn't as prevalent as it is today. We had to wait for our friends from Chicago to come visit so they could bring it to my folks. I'll start looking for the Carapelli Unfiltered Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. The fried shrimp balls would be a huge hit with our family. We all love seafood and appetizers. That's a win-win.
Melissa says
These sound incredible, they remind me of a traditional Italian Rice Ball and those are my fave so I am sure these are just as delish!!
stacey says
These look delicious. I love all the ingredients you used in making these fried shrimp balls.
Becca Talbot says
These look and sound amazing! I love prawns 😀 And the recipe seems pretty easy to follow too. Will have to give them a whirl 😀 x
Amanda says
These look so yummy. I haven't made too many meals that are fried because my husband is not a big fan. Maybe I can convince him to now 😉
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
I love shrimp, but I have actually never tried shrimp balls before! These look so tasty!
NAti says
I love Italian culture and food ! (I married an Italian btw) So I know I will love making these shrimp balls!
April says
These look incredible and I don't eat much shrimp but I would devour these in a minute! I can't wait to give them a try!
Lucia says
Do you think this would work in an air fryer instead of frying in oil?