The most underrated veggie in my opinion is the squash blossom. If you’re not familiar, allow me to enlighten you:
- Squash blossoms are literally the edible flowers grown from a squash plant
- They’re sometimes called “zucchini flowers”
- Flowers with long slender stalks are male (of course), and flowers with a hint of baby squash at the end are the ladies
- You can typically find squash blossoms from late spring through the early fall
Throughout my childhood, Bimpy and Grandma Katherine grew squash blossoms in their garden and would make fritters that I still dream about. So much so, in fact, that I took their recipe and made it my own by stuffing them with cheese and frying them because I’m dramatic like that. Go ahead, be a drama queen…
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Fried Stuffed Squash Blossoms
What You’ll Need
- 12–16 squash blossoms
Batter:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup chilled seltzer water
Filling:
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg yok
- 1/4 cup finely chopped mint
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Olive oil or any neutral frying oil
- Sea Salt
What You’ll Do
- Grab two bowls. In one, add all of the batter ingredients EXCEPT the seltzer. Keep the ¾ cup chilled seltzer water in the fridge for later.
- In the second bowl, add all of the filling ingredients and stir to combine. Grab a ziploc bag (or a pastry bag if you have one) and fill her up with the filling ingredients. With scissors, snip one corner of the bag to create a makeshift pastry bag!
- Carefully open each individual squash blossom and gently squeeze your filling bag with one hand while holding the end of the squash blossom in the other hand. This is a fun process and will literally never go perfectly. Just get the job done as best as you can and remember to laugh.
- Once your blossoms are filled, twist the tops together to gently seal the filling inside and set them aside.
- Fill your frying pan with about ¼ inch of olive oil or any neutral frying oil. Set it on medium-high until the oil gets hot.
- Meanwhile, grab your cold seltzer water, add it to your dry batter ingredients and whisk together.
- Place your stuffed flowers one-by-one into the batter and casually dredge them. Then proceed to drop the coated blossoms in the hot oil and fry them for about 5 minutes, or until they get nice and browned. Make sure to turn blossoms over in different areas of the pan to check for brownness and ensure they’re cooking evenly!
- Place your fried blossoms on a plate with paper towels to soak up extra grease from frying, sprinkle the top with sea salt and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Make It Step By Step With Me:
1. These are squash blossoms. Hard to find but worth the search.
2. Grab two bowls.
In one, add all of the batter ingredients EXCEPT the seltzer:
2 dozen squash blossoms
½ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
Keep the ¾ cup chilled seltzer water in the fridge for later.
In the second one, add all of the filling ingredients:
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg yok
¼ cup finely chopped mint
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
3. Stir to combine the filling ingredients. Grab a plastic bag (or a pastry filling bag if you have one).
4. This is my friend Paul. Be like Paul and fill the plastic bag with the filling ingredients.
5. Snip one corner of the bag to create an easy way for you to pipe the filling into your squash blossoms.
6. Carefully open the squash blossom and insert the tip of your filling bag.
7. Ok enough of Paul, he is cuter than me and it makes me mad. Gently squeeze your filling bag with one hand while holding the end of the squash blossom in the other hand. This is a fun process and will literally never go perfectly. Just get the job done as best as you can and remember to laugh.
8. Once your blossom is filled, twist the top together to gently seal the filling inside. Proceed to fill all your blossoms then set them aside.
9. Fill your frying pan with about ¼ inch of olive oil or any neutral frying oil. Set it on medium-high until the oil gets hot.
10. Meanwhile, grab your cold seltzer water, add it to your dry batter ingredients and whisk together.
11. Drop your stuffed flowers one-by-one into the batter and casually dredge them through the batter.
12. This is about as perfectly coated as I get. I like to see a little blossom poking through here and there as I fry them. The color is so beautiful.
13. Throw your coated blossoms into the hot oil and let them fry for about 5 minutes, or until they get nice and browned.
14. I always make sure to turn over blossoms in different areas of the pan as I check for brownness. Heat often does not distribute evenly in the pan. Be sure to move them around as they fry if this is the case for you.
15. Ok fine. Here’s another pic of Paul. You deserve it.
16. Place your fried blossoms on a plate with paper towels to soak up extra grease from frying. Sprinkle the top with sea salt and serve immediately. Enjoy!
