Deep Fried Zucchini Blossoms

 
More of nature's bounty from the garden! I don't have a large vegetable garden but zucchini is something I love to grow. I enjoy zucchini cooked so many ways. One of my favorite things to do with my homegrown zucchini plants is to stuff and deep fry the blossoms. I love to grow zucchini just to make these! Occasionally, you can find them at a good farmers market.

In the above photo, you see both the male and the female blossoms. The female blossom grows with the fruit and the male blossom just has a stem.

It can be heart-breaking to cut off the blossoms but as anyone knows who grows zucchini there will be many more to come :)

The female blossoms with a baby zucchini attached are like a delicacy to me. This is an already-stuffed blossom waiting to be dipped in batter and fried:

My favorite stuffing is an herb ricotta combination. I use my very old Fry Baby deep fryer. So good eaten right out of the fryer - crispy and delicious!

There is a wonderful and very informative tutorial for making deep-fried zucchini blossoms here and includes the recipe that I used for mine.

I hope you give them a try some time. You'll be in for a wonderful treat!

Ricotta-stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Printable Recipe

12 zucchini blossoms
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves,chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup of all-purposed flour
1 cup of club soda

1 1/2 cups of vegetable or canola oil

Mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, chopped basil, egg and salt. Mix until smooth. Place the mixture into a piping bag. A freezer bag with a tiny corner cut off can also be used.

Slice the stems off the male flowers. If the flowers need to be cleaned, gently wipe with a damp paper towel.

Slice the baby zucchinis into strips ensuring the head is still attached to the flower.

Whisk together the soda water and flour. The mixture will be frothy at first. Set aside to rest.

Gently open the petals coaxing those that are entwined. Snip off the pistil with a scissors.

Carefully pipe approximately 2 tablespoons of filling into each flower. Twist the top of the petals back together to close. Set the flowers aside.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan or if you have a Fry Baby or Fry Daddy fill it with about 3-4 inches of oil. Turn on the oven to a very low heat to keep the cooked zucchini blossoms warm.

Dip each flower one at a time into the batter soda batter holding them over the bowl to let the excess batter drip off. Set them on a platter.

Test the oil temperature by dropping a small amount of batter into the pan. It's ready if the batter sizzles to the top. Place the dipped flower on a slotted spoon and gently lower it into the hot oil. Cook the flowers until they are lightly crispy for about 2-3 minutes.

Remove flowers from oil with slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet in the oven while you cook the remaining flowers. Once all the flowers have been cooked, serve immediately.