Zucchini Blossom Fritters

Have you tried zucchini blossom fritters? These little heavenly appetizers are, to many, a signal of the start of summer. If you’re unfamiliar let me give you a little lesson on the Zucchini Blossom Fritter.

Considered a delicacy in many countries, the blossoms of zucchini, squash or courgette plants are picked, washed, dipped into a flour batter and lightly fried. The plants produce both male and female blossoms, but typically only the male blossoms are picked as these are the blossoms which do not produce fruit. If growing your own vegetables, to tell the difference between male and female blossoms look for where they are growing. Male blossoms grow along the stem of the plant, whereas female blossoms grow directly out of the fruit.

There are many different variations of this recipe, some, like the one you’ll find here use few ingredients and are simply the fried blossom. However, you may come across other recipes for stuffed zucchini blossom fritters. While travelling through Tuscany my husband and I ate the most delicious fritters that were stuffed with ricotta and anchovies. I haven’t plucked up the courage to try a recipe like that myself yet, but I still do dream of the ones we ate while travelling!

As a traditional cucina povera (peasant food, or more literally ‘poor kitchen’) Italian recipe, you’ll use minimal ingredients while still having a burst of flavour. Ready to get started? Find the recipe below.