LadyMin's Garden

Fiori di Zucca Fritti

The reason I started growing zucchini was for the flowers. The past few summers I have seen them at the local farmer’s market, but they are easy to grow in your own yard.

Pick only the male blossoms. They are the ones on long slender stems. The females are are shorter and have a tiny baby fruit between the flower and the stem. Pick them in the morning when the flowers are open and watch out for the bees. They are best when used on the day picked, but will store for a few days in the crisper in a breathable vegetable baggie.

This is a classic Italian recipe for fried flowers, which I learned from my mom, which she learned from her mom.

Ingredients

• 2 dozen zucchini flowers
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup milk
• Extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Rinse the flowers; remove the pistil from inside the center of the flower and the small green stems on the outside. Beat three eggs in a shallow bowl. Add the flour, salt and pepper to another small bowl. Put the milk in a 3rd bowl. Heat about ½ inch of olive oil in a pan on medium to medium-high heat.

Preparation

Dip the flowers one at a time in the milk, then flour, then egg and add to the heated oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. I only fry about 8 flowers at a time. Turn when golden brown, usually only a minute or two, and fry the other side. The oil should be hot enough to make them crisp, but not so hot as to burn them. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add more oil as needed for the next batch.

Frying zucchini flowers

They can be served hot or room temperature. Usually as an appetizer, but I eat them anytime, even as a snack.

[Update October 2010: For those that prefer to make a batter and dip the flowers, I recently tried a fried flower recipe from the cookbook Recipes From An Italian Summer and the results were excellent. Recipe and pictures here.]

Other hints and tips:
I use my fingers to dip them in the milk, egg and flour. It’s much easier and faster than trying to use a fork. To turn them in the pan I use a fork or tongs. The milk is optional; if you don’t want to use milk, be sure the flowers are wet before coating them with the flour. I cooked these outside. If you are fortunate enough to have a burner on the grill, it’s nicer to do this outside where you can be messy.

Here’s a picture of one of my zucchini plants. The male flower on the right has a long slender stem. The female flower on the left is producing a zucchini. Click on the photo to enlarge it and in the very center there is another female flower forming.