Fiori di zucca fritti (Angelina’s Fried Zucchini Blossoms)

Zucchini is everywhere in our markets in the summer, but zucchini blossoms are another story. They are awfully hard to find. Forget about supermarkets, a better bet is your local farmers market—and even then you may need some luck. So your best bet is to grow your own zucchini, and then you’ll have an almost endless supply.

You see, the flowers are very delicate and start wilting almost as soon as they’re picked. That makes them impractical for mass marketing, but they are well worth seeking out. Their flavor is really unique. Someone once described them as ‘zucchini perfume’, which gives you an idea—but you really just need to experience them yourself.

You can prepare zucchini blossoms in a number of ways, but deep frying is probably the most popular in Italy and, if you ask me, the most delicious. Angelina would make them in her usual fashion, dredged in flour and dipped in egg flavored with grated cheese and other good things. But more usually, you dip them in batter. I particularly like one made with flour, egg and fizzy water, to which I’ve taken to adding a bit of corn starch, which produces a wonderfully crispy, delicate crust.

You can fry your zucchini blossoms just as is, but they are even more delicious with a mozzarella and anchovy stuffing.

You can enjoy fiori di zucca fritti on their own as an antipasto or as a delicious snack, as part of a fritto misto, or with other fried vegetables as a vegetable-based main course.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 12 zucchini blossoms

For the stuffing:

• 1 medium ball of mozzarella, cut into short strips
• 6 anchovy fillets

For the batter:

• 100g (1 cup) all purpose flour
• 1 egg. beaten
• 200 ml (3/4 cup) sparkling water, or as much as you need
• 2 Tbs corn starch (optional)
• salt

For frying

• vegetable and/or olive oil

Directions

Prepare the batter by mixing the flour, salt and, if using, corn starch. Then add the beaten egg and whisk vigorously, gradually adding as much water as you need to create a loose batter.

Gently open the petals of each zucchini blossom and, using a small teaspoon or just your finger, reach in and remove the pistil. Take care not to damage the delicate petals if you can.

Take a bit of mozzarella and stuff it into the flower, followed by a half anchovy fillet. Then close the flower up, pressing the petals together gently with your hands around the stuffing.

Now, in a large deep frying pan or skillet, heat enough abundant oil at least 3 cm (in inch) deep. The oil should be very hot, about 200C/400F, but not smoking.

Taking each blossom in hand gingerly and, making sure with your fingers that they stay closed, dip them in the batter and twirl them so they are covered all over. Then slip them immediately into the hot oil.

Deep fry the zucchini blossom in the oil until lightly brown on each side.

Drain them on paper towels or on a baking rack.

Serve immediately.

Notes on fiori di zucca fritti

If you are using zucchini blossoms from your garden, be aware that they grown both from the ends of the fruit and at the end of stems. You should use the ones that grow on a stem. The ones that grow at the end of the zucchini themselves can be used in a pinch, but they will not be as flavorful, and they will have a hard end (where you cut off the zucchini) that will be less edible.

Try to find immaculately fresh zucchini blossoms. Even slightly wilted blossoms will be a bother to stuff. As they wilt, the delicate petals tend to stick together, making it fussy work to open the blossom for stuffing. You may have to resort to slitting open the petal, which is fine, so long as you take extra care to close them up well and twirl them in the batter.

That said, if you are dealing with wilted blossoms, you might want to forgo the stuffing or make frittelle (fritters) instead.

Variations

While I would venture that mozzarella and anchovy is the most common stuffing, as with other stuffed vegetables, there are all sorts of variations: ricotta and ham, ricotta and mozzarella, capers instead of or in addition to the anchovies, mortadella and fontina, tuna mousse… the possibilities are endless.

That said, the inclusion of some sort of soft cheese that melts and binds the stuffing together is a constant.

And, of course, it is possible to enjoy fried zucchini blossoms without any stuffing at all. That’s the way Angelina used to make them. It’s a practical solution for blossoms that are too wilted to open. They are very tasty on their own.

Making fiori di zucca fritti ahead

In a word, don’t.. not if you can help it.

Like other fried dishes, fiori di zucca fritti are best eaten right out of the fryer. (Well, not literally. Let them cool down ever so slightly to avoid burning your mouth!) The batter will be nice and crisp and the mozzarella filling still creamy.

That said, fiori di zucca fritti are quite edible at room temperature. You can even reheat them by plunging them briefly into hot oil or even popping them in an air fryer for a minute or two. They won’t be quite as good reheated as freshly made—for some odd reason, the filling seems to disappear—but still quite delicious.

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Fiori di zucca fritti

Deep Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Antipasto

Keyword: fried

Servings: 4

Calories: 318kcal

Ingredients

• 12 zucchini blossoms

For the stuffing:

• 1 medium mozzarella cut into short strips
• 6 anchovy fillets

For the batter:

• 100 g all purpose flour
• 1 egg. beaten
• 200 ml sparkling water, or as much as you need
• 2 Tbs corn starch optional
• salt

For frying

• vegetable and/or olive oil

Metric – US

Instructions

• Prepare the batter by mixing the flour, salt and, if using, corn starch. Then add the beaten egg and whisk vigorously, gradually adding as much water as you need to create a loose batter.
• Gently open the petals of each zucchini blossom and, using a small teaspoon or just your finger, reach in and remove the pistil. Take care not to damage the delicate petals if you can.
• Take a bit of mozzarella and stuff it into the flower, followed by a half anchovy fillet. Then close the flower up, pressing the petals together gently with your hands around the stuffing.
• Now, in a large deep frying pan or skillet, heat enough abundant oil at least 3 cm (in inch) deep. The oil should be very hot, about 200C/400F, but not smoking.
• Taking each blossom in hand gingerly and, making sure with your fingers that they stay closed, dip them in the batter and twirl them so they are covered all over. Then slip them immediately into the hot oil.
• Deep fry the zucchini blossom in the oil until lightly brown on each side.
• Drain them on paper towels or on a baking rack.
• Serve immediately

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 17.5g | Fat: 16.4g | Saturated Fat: 7.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Cholesterol: 87.6mg | Sodium: 2097.1mg | Potassium: 127.4mg | Vitamin A: 403.4IU | Calcium: 283.7mg | Iron: 2mg