A typical Mediterranean dish: Fried Zucchini Flowers in English, and in France they are called Beignets de Fleurs de Courgette.
There are many versions where the flowers are coated with different types of batter.
I have tasted batters made with eggs, herbs, even breadcrumbs. Personally, I prefer to keep it simple as the flowers have a delicate flavour which would otherwise be overwhelmed by any stronger ingredient.
I use a simple tempura batter equal parts of water and flour, and 1 tbsp of semolina flour to add some crunch.
Beside salt, I add saffron.
As saffron is pollen, it actually enhances their flowery flavour.
If you don't have a deep fryer, I would suggest 
Magimix Pro 350 °F - Fryer (3 L, 1.1 kg, 3 L, Single, Stainless Steel, stand-alone)
. It was recommended on a cooking course at Rick Stein’s in Padstow, and it is on my wish list. (affiliate link)
Fried Zucchini Flowers Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 zucchini flowers
- 1 cup flour all purpose
- 1 tbsp semolina flour this is the secret to make them extra crispy
- 1 cup water
- 2 sachets saffron
- oil for frying
- mozzarella and ham optional for the filling
Instructions
- Wash the flowers making sure there are no insects inside. Cut the sepal but leave the pedicel of male flowers. Let them drain upside down.
- Once they are dry, add the fillings inside the flower. In the meantime heat the oil for frying at medium heat.
- In a bowl mix the 2 flours with the saffron, then add water and salt
- and whisk until combined
- Dip the flowers in the mix
- Making sure they are all coated with the batter
- Deep fry the flowers
- Turning them to cook evenly on all sizes
- Once cooked, lay them over a paper towel to absorb the excess oil
- Serve immediately so they will be warm and crispy
Notes
Fat 5 gr per serving
Carbohydrates 5 gr per serving
Sodium 229 mg per serving
*Assuming 70% increase in calories for fried food
Nutritional information is provided for general purpose only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely.
PIN FOR LATER:
More zucchini recipes:
These sound super amazing! I’ve never tried eating courgette flowers before, but I’ve heard they’re lovely!
They are, just make sure you cook them the same day you buy them. Thank you Elizabeth
I absolutely adore fried zucchini flowers and they are so fun to make. These look so delicious.
Thank you, Emily, they are our summer special
Oh how tasty! Love that there’s saffron in the batter! Brilliant!
thank you, simple but perfect match
Well, that’s something I have never tried before. These zucchini flowers look amazing!
They are delicious if you try let me know what you think. Thank you for stopping by
This is just amazing! I never tried zucchini flowers before and now I absolutely MUST. Saffron sounds so flavorful in this one.
Thank you Natalie, I am sure you will love it
These look delicious! I’ve seen zucchini flowers at the farmer’s market but have never actually tried them before.
I have never had zucchini flowers. I can’t believe I haven’t. Your fried flowers makes me want to run out to the nearest neighbor with a garden and steal some. I haven’t seen them in a store, so since I won’t take them from my neighbor, I’ll try the farmers market. Delish!