Fried zucchini flowers are one of the simplest and most irresistible pleasures of Italian cuisine, who can resist fried zucchini flowers? Crunchy, golden, and fragrant… one leads to another! They are usually prepared with mozzarella and anchovies, but this time I want to offer you a simple and light recipe, perfect even for those who prefer more delicate flavors or don’t like fillings too much, or are vegan.
Today, I propose a lighter version, without mozzarella and anchovies, but still super tasty.
The trick to making them perfect? The right batter. Exactly, the secret is all in the batter: it must be light, crunchy, and able to wrap the flower without covering its delicate flavor.
I’ll show you how to make it in a few minutes, with ingredients you already have in your pantry and with some small tricks to obtain a golden and dry fry, just like grandma used to make.
Prepare a bowl, gently rinse your zucchini flowers and… put the oil on. I promise that once you try this version without mozzarella and anchovies, you won’t go back.
- Cost: Very affordable
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 12 zucchini flowers
- 1 cup water
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast for savory preparations
- as needed sunflower seed oil
Steps
1 – Gently clean the zucchini flowers without soaking them too much. The yellow pistil is edible, however, after cooking it might be slightly bitter, you can remove it or leave it to take advantage of all the nutritional properties of the zucchini flower.
2 – In a small bowl, put the water, flour, salt, and instant yeast for savory preparations. Mix the ingredients well and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.
3 – In a pan, pour 2 inches of sunflower seed oil and wait for it to heat over medium-low flame. To know when the oil is at the right temperature, do the toothpick test: immerse the tip of a wooden skewer in the oil; if the edge sizzles and makes small bubbles, it’s time to start frying.
4 – Dip the zucchini flowers in the batter, wrapping it all around the zucchini flower, use kitchen tongs to lift it and gently place it in the oil. I recommend frying 4 flowers at a time, so as not to lower the oil temperature too much.
5 – Turn the zucchini flowers when they are golden, and finish frying on the other side. Finally, drain them and place them on a tray where you have positioned a sheet of absorbent paper to collect any excess oil drops.
6 – If you have some batter left over, don’t throw it away, make some empty fritters or add some other vegetables like sliced tomatoes or celery leaves.
