Zucchini Blossoms: Who Knew A Delicate Flower Could Be So Tasty?

A once-a-year treat in our house are stuffed zucchini blossoms. Available for a short period at the start of summer, they are available right now at local farmers markets.

The zucchini blossom is the soft yellow flower part of the zucchini plant. There are both male and female flowers; they are almost identical except the female produces the actual zucchini. The flowers are three to four inches long and tube-shaped, making them easy to stuff. The traditional stuffing is ricotta cheese, ground meat, fish, or shellfish. They are usually lightly battered and quickly fried, but they can also be baked in a hot oven.

They can be a little costly, as transporting can damage them and render them inedible. Talk to the purveyors at the farmers market and if they do not have the blossoms that week, ask if they will bring them next time they are there. Growing your own is the cheap alternative, but make sure you only cut the ones not attached to a baby zucchini.

They are easy to clean by opening with your fingers and removing the stamen and any accumulated pollen or dirt. Try not to use water as this can damage the delicate walls of the flower. If you are going to store them, spray with a mist of water, wrap in paper towels, and refrigerate. Try to use them as quickly as possible.

Like zucchini squash, zucchini flowers are high in folate, potassium, manganese, and Vitamin A. Frying does not help with the nutrition and stuffing them with meat or cheese is not going to reduce calories, but as a once (or twice) a year treat, they are worth it. Mine were about 350 calories each.

I make them a couple of ways -- either Asian style with ground chicken, garlic, and ginger or Italian style with ricotta and herbs. Both are battered the same way.

Here is my recipe for ricotta stuffed zucchini blossoms:

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms (Flowers) 

12 zucchini blossoms

Filling

1 cup zucchini (small dice)

½ cup onion (small dice)

3 cloves garlic (chopped fine)

2 T olive oil

16 oz ricotta cheese

¼ cup parmesan cheese

4 egg yolks

3 T chopped herbs (parsley, oregano, and basil)

Batter

1 cup  all-purpose flour

1 to 1½ cup soda water

sea salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

Directions

Sauté zucchini, onions, and garlic in olive oil until barely cooked, cool. Mix ricotta, parmesan, and egg yolk until combined; add cooled vegetables and mix. Fill each zucchini squash with about two tablespoons of the filling. Wrap the blossoms around the filling so that no filling is showing. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make batter by mixing flour, salt, and soda water to the consistency of heavy cream. Heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Dip each filled blossom in the batter and allow excess batter to drip off. Deep fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep warm in an oven until all blossoms are fried.

Serve with a herb and mustard vinaigrette, lemon wedges, and sea salt.

Check back next week for the latest of what's "In Season," as food writer Colin Marsh gives us the scoop on the fruits and veggies at your local market and how to use them to maximum potential.