Prep
20 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Region
Southern Italy
What you’ll need
Ingredients
- 16 zucchini blossoms
- 1¼ cups plain flour
- ⅞ cup cold sparkling water
- 1 egg (optional)
- Sunflower or olive oil, for frying Extra Virgin Olive Oil →
- Sea salt
At the stove
Instructions
- 1
Open each blossom, remove the stamen, and check inside. Wipe rather than wash if you can.
- 2
Whisk the flour with the cold water, and the egg if using, to a thin batter. Rest 10 minutes.
- 3
Heat 1⅛ inches of oil to 345°F.
- 4
Dip each flower, let the excess run off, and fry for 2 minutes a side until pale gold.
- 5
Drain on paper and salt at once.
- 6
Serve immediately — they soften within minutes.
Recipe notes
Cold batter and hot oil give the lightest result.
Some households add a little anchovy or cheese inside; both are common.
Context
Frying squash blossoms is a widespread summer practice in Italian home kitchens, tied to the garden rather than to any one region.
Sources: Editorial adaptation of documented Italian home cooking, Ro & Ti Kitchen
The pieces used here
From the Kitchen
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