Gluten-Free Scagliozzi (Neapolitan Fried Polenta)

Wander the old streets of Naples and you will find scagliozzi sold hot from paper cones: crisp golden triangles of fried polenta, salty and craggy, eaten with your fingers walking. It is cibo di strada — street food — and, like so much of Naples’ best eating, it was gluten-free long before anyone thought to say so. Cornmeal, water, a little cheese: that is the whole story.

Gluten-Free Scagliozzi (Neapolitan Fried Polenta)

Naples' street-food classic — crisp golden triangles of fried polenta. Naturally gluten-free (just cornmeal, water and a little cheese); the only risk is a shared restaurant fryer. Perfect crunchy aperitivo snack or side.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

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• 250 g medium cornmeal (polenta) certified gluten-free — see notes
• 750 ml water
• 1 tbsp grated Parmigiano
• Salt
• Sunflower oil for frying — see notes

Method

 

1. Boil & stir: Boil salted water. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Stir 30–40 minutes until thick and glossy. Stir through the Parmigiano.
2. Set & cut: Pour into a tray to about 1.5 cm thick. Cool until firm, then cut into triangles or rectangles.
3. Fry to crisp: Fry in sunflower oil until golden. Serve warm — with aioli, spicy ketchup or tomato sauce.

Notes

Coeliac notes
• Cornmeal must be certified gluten-free — maize is naturally GF but polenta is frequently milled with wheat.
• Frying is the one real risk. Scagliozzi are naturally GF, but deep-frying in shared oil that has cooked battered/breaded food contaminates them — the classic trap in a Neapolitan friggitoria. At home use clean oil.
• Parmigiano is naturally GF — grate your own (pre-grated can carry a wheat-derived anti-caking starch); omit for vegan.
• A Campanian cousin of Ligurian panissa and Sicilian panelle. When a label is unclear, treat it as "not for me".

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