By Tracy Morin | Photos by Jim Mirabelli, NEPA Pizza Review
For the lesser-known pizza style known as pan-fried Sicilian, most iterations are still confined to one pizza-rich region. But that’s part of the fun—while it may not have (yet) spread around the country or globe, fans can’t wait to see how far it might travel. “I know of about 50 places in the world that sell pan-fried Sicilian,” says Jim Mirabelli, the influencer behind the NEPA Pizza Review website, based in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. “Give or take, 47 of them are in Northeast Pennsylvania, and 45 are in Luzerne County. It’s a hyper-regional style of pizza.”
Its niche status certainly doesn’t stop local devotees—including Mirabelli himself—from savoring these indulgent pies, most notably marked by generous amounts of oil poured in the pan before baking to create a fried-crust effect that’s irresistible.
Historic and Euphoric
The invention of the pan-fried Sicilian style is credited to Victory Pig Pizza & Barbecue in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, a down-home dive established in 1942 and still going strong today. “The Ceccoli family championed the pan-fried Sicilian, which came out around the same time as Detroit style, in the 1940s,” Mirabelli recounts. “There’s a lot of suspicion as to which came first—did one owner visit the other area and get inspired? There are similarities between them.”
One clear commonality is the use of baking pans, and the NEPA version uses rectangular 13”-by-18” or 12”-by-17” sizes. The crust is made with a relatively dry (about 60% hydration) same-day dough, usually prepared in the morning for that evening’s service. “As the dough is rising throughout the day, a focaccia-style dimpling happens, creating a bubblier texture, not a uniform one like a traditional Sicilian,” Mirabelli explains. “There’s an undulation throughout—it’s a journey to eat through one of those crusts.”
Before they spread the dough into the pan, however, pizzaioli pour in a hefty amount of peanut oil or an oil blend—up to 1.5 cups, Mirabelli reports—which, through the baking process, creates a fried-type dough. The resulting crackly texture, he says, is reminiscent of pork rinds. “The pan-fried Sicilian is all about the crust,” Mirabelli says. “But that’s not its only unique characteristic.”
The sauce is simple, usually made from crushed tomatoes, without a lot of Italian herbs—but it’s often fortified by the addition of onions that are so finely sliced and diced you might not detect their presence by texture alone. The onions aren’t inside the sauce, but spread on top of the sauce, creating a mouthwatering aroma for customers while baking.
The cheese, too, is different from a regular Sicilian: Rather than mozzarella, this style features white cheddar cheese, cut in deli slices and draped across the pie. “It melts in a unique way, with pockmarks and holes,” Mirabelli says. “It looks kind of like Freddy Krueger’s skin.”
Despite the horror-movie metaphor, Mirabelli asserts that pan-fried Sicilian is the stuff of fantasy. “In my opinion, it’s one of the most delicious pizzas you’ll ever taste,” he says. “It’s indulgent, but the crust and its soft, chewy interior draws you in. For me, that crispy, crunchy, fried bottom—not soggy or bready—plus those onions, matched with cheddar cheese…it’s euphoric when hitting on all cylinders.”
A Niche Market
While the pan-fried Sicilian’s core characteristics take it into the stratosphere of taste, its various unique components make it trickier to pull off than traditional pies. Mirabelli calls it “one of the most difficult styles to make.” For example, the reasoning behind peanut oil’s usage is due to its high smoke point—vegetable oil would turn the pizzeria’s kitchen into a breathing hazard. Too-high baking temperatures can easily burn the crust’s prized fried bottom. And rather than following a set standard, different operators have had to carve out their own preferred thicknesses that work for their recipe and equipment, from ¾” to 1.5”.
These considerations may partially explain why this beloved NEPA style has mostly stayed within its home region. Outside of the area, examples are few and far between, but spreading slowly: Mirabelli knows one operator in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, who’s taken his pan-fried Sicilian to a pizza competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey. And Pop’s Back Mountain Pizza, in relatively faraway East Barre, Vermont, prides itself on a “secret recipe” that authentically recreates the style. “I track it very carefully, and my readers will point places out to me,” Mirabelli says. “We’re constantly scouring for it.”
Mind you, not everyone is a fan of the pan-fried Sicilian. Some customers complain of a heavy feeling after eating—though Mirabelli points out that this side effect could be a function of the style’s less-digestible same-day dough as much as its requisite bed of oil. “You may be ready for a nap after you’re done eating, but if you buy a pan-fried Sicilian and that box is sitting next to you, with that onion aroma…let’s just say you can’t leave me alone with a pan-fried Sicilian,” Mirabelli says with a laugh. “Many people I talk to who try it are rabid fans immediately.”
That’s major praise, considering that another NEPA-based style of pizza has gotten much of the area’s glory, even marking one town as “Pizza Capital of the World,” in nearby Old Forge. “In this area, we’re more known for Old Forge style, but I usually recommend pan-fried Sicilian to visitors,” Mirabelli says. “Old Forge, you gotta grow up with; I think pan-fried Sicilian is more relatable. It’s indulgent, it’s snacky—in a lot of ways, it feels like childhood.”
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s associate editor.
