Fried Zucchini Blossoms

I think the best part of having a garden is not only seeing how vegetables develop from little baby plants, but having the fresh, home-grown vegetables available all summer long. When I was a kid, I remember my great-grandmother picking beautiful zucchini flowers nearly every morning from her garden, frying them up and enjoying them for dinner that very night.

While Billy and I don’t have any zucchini plants this year, I was able to sneak a few blossoms from my mom’s garden over the weekend. The result was delectable, melt-in-your-mouth stuffed zucchini blossoms fried in a simple flour and water batter. My taste buds hadn’t skipped a beat, I was instantly transported back to my childhood. I definitely can’t wait to get my hands on more blossoms.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

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Here’s what you’ll need:
Makes: 4 stuffed blossoms
- 4 medium to large zucchini blossoms, trimmed and washed (carefully!)
- about 4 tbsp ricotta cheese (at room temperature)
- an handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
- about 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup water

Instructions:
Prepare the batter by sifting the flour into the water, beating constantly. Add more flour or water as necessary. The batter should be the consistency of sour cream — a little stiff, but a little watery. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat a few inches of vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, basil and salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into a pastry or Ziplock bag with a small slit cut out of the corner and set aside. Carefully open up one of the blossoms and fill with about a tablespoon of the ricotta mixture. Make sure not to put too much of the filling, otherwise the blossoms will burst. Carefully twist the top of the blossoms to secure the ricotta inside. Continue until all of the blossoms are stuffed.

Test the heat of the oil by dropping a small bit of the batter into the oil. If it bubbles away, you’re ready to go. Gently dip the stuffed blossoms in the water/flour mixture and transfer to the hot oil. Fry up until the blossoms turn a golden brown with a nice crisp on the outside, about three minutes. Remove the blossoms from the oil with a slotted spoon, season with salt and drain the excess oil off on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

Stuffed, Fried Zucchini Blossoms

There’s not much to say about these amazing little blossoms of heaven except oh. my. gosh. They’re delicate, full of fresh summertime flavor and they simply just melt in your mouth. The simple water/flour batter adds a nice crunch to the outside, but it doesn’t overpower the delicate flower or the ricotta mixture. The flavor of the herbed ricotta really compliments the flavor of the fresh blossom.

I’ll definitely be stealing more blossoms from my mom throughout the summer, and I’m seriously considering planting a zucchini plant next year just for the blossoms. Sounds crazy, right? Well…just wait till you give these a try, and I promise you’ll understand!

P.S. For all you photographer types out there — this was my first time working with a RAW image. I think it was a difficult one to start with, but I’m fairly happy with the results. I can definitely use some pointers on how to work with RAW images, so if you’re familiar or know where to send me for tips, I’d greatly appreciate it!