This morning at the local Farmer’s Market I spotted the first of the zucchini blossoms at one of the stands.
Ever since a trip to Tuscany where I first tasted these delectable tempura-like, gently fried blossoms I have always wanted to try making them, but never had.
Since moving to California they are not an uncommon sight at the local markets when in season.
At a nearby downtown Italian restaurant last summer fried zucchini blossoms served with a side of marinara sauce were a special one evening, My husband and I ordered them as an appetizer and I again vowed to make them one of these days.
So I snatched up the last basket this morning, and took on the challenge.
I had remembered seeing a simple recipe in what has become a favorite Italian cookbook of mine, The Tuscan Sun Cookbook, and decided to follow that.
Having spent most of the day planting some pots for my front porch I didn’t think about checking the recipe until I was ready to make them. When i did i realized I was missing some key ingredients.
The recipe called for peanut or sunflower oil, neither of which I had. I decided canola oil would have to do.
It also called for beer, and all we had was ale so I decided to substitute club soda which I had seen mentioned in a recipe online.
The only other ingredients were the zucchini blossoms, themselves, and flour and salt for the batter, and that I had.
Then suddenly I realized the oil needed to be heated to 350 degrees, and I had never replaced my deep fry thermometer when we moved so I decided to wing it, and hoped for the best.
The temperature of the oil can be the difference between a limp disastrous fried zucchini flower or a very, very good one.
The oil must be at the right temperature and you must maintain that temperature throughout the frying process.
I heated the oil to what I thought would be close to the proper temperature, and tested it by adding a drop of water to it. It looked good so I began frying them.
Fortunately it must have been close enough to 350 degrees because they came out perfectly! I don’t recommend this method, though, so make sure you have a thermometer to check the temperature when you decide to make them.
I was amazed at how easy they were to make, and so delicious
Here is the recipe as written along with my substitutions…
Fried Zucchini Flowers (The Tuscan Cookbook, Frances and Edward Mayes)
serves 8
2 cups peanut or sunflower oil, for frying
24 male zucchini flowers, unwashed
Batter For Frying
1 cup all-purpose four
½ teaspoon salt (I used kosher salt)
1 cup beer (I used club soda)
Coarse salt to taste (I used kosher salt)
In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
If the blossoms are moist, pat them dry with a paper towel. Gently pry open each flower and break off the yellow stamen, or use tweezers to snip it out.
To prepare the batter, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and beer (or club soda), and let this rest for 20 minutes. Break up any lumps with a fork.
Quickly dip each flower into the batter, coating it all over.
Slip the flowers into the oil. Flip once. Fry in batches until tawny and crispy, about 2 minutes. Remove with the spatula or tongs, and quickly drain on paper towels.
Serve immediately with a sprinkling of salt.
(you can also serve with a bowl of marinara sauce for dipping)
A note from the author…
Choose a fresh bunch of flowers; if they’re slightly droopy, don’t bother. the male plants do not develop into zucchini-they only flower. If you’re growing zucchini, pick tiny ones with the flowers still attached. Cut these zucchini and flowers down through the center and fry them with the male flowers. Young squash blossoms work equally well.