Fried Zucchini Flowers – Fiori di zucchini fritti
A real eye opener for your guests. There’s no summer for me without fried zucchini flowers and I’m sure that if you’ll try them you won’t be able to resist them either. There are different recipes for the batter some people add egg or milk or both. I like it simple and I often make the batter with water so if you don’t want to use beer there’s no problem. Serve them while they are still warm. Be careful not to eat them when they are too hot though!
Ingredients:
25 fresh zucchini flowers
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups flat beer or water
extra virgin olive oil for frying
salt
Instructions:
1. Open the zucchini flowers and remove the pistil. Wash the flowers under running water and carefully dry them on a towel.
2. In a bowl add the beer to the flour, mix quickly with a fork and stir in a pinch of salt. The batter should have the consistency of pancake batter.
3. Heat the oil, about 1/2-inch deep, in a nonstick pan.
4. Deep the zucchini flowers into the batter and coat them both sides. Allow the excess batter to drip off.
5. When the oil it’s hot add the flowers. Fry them, a few at a time, for about two minutes per side or until golden and crispy.
6. Place them on a paper-towel to absorb the excess oil and add salt to taste.
My mom used to make these when I was a kid and I loved them! I was wondering if they could also be made with pumpkin flowers. We have a pumpkin patch but the rabbits keep eating the small pumpkins and it seems like a waste. I’d rather eat the flowers before the rabbits get to them!
@Serena: Yes, you can fry them.