In July last year, I was gushing about the availability of locally-grown zucchini and yellow squash. They remain hard to get, but it’s no challenge at all compared to snagging a punnet of the flowers. Zucchini flowers remain largely something only obtainable from specialist importers catering to high-end restaurants, but that is beginning to change as these delicacies gain increased recognition not just as a decorative flourish, but as something that is seriously good to eat.
While local producers are finally getting a handle on growing zucchini, I was given a beautiful yellow squash just last week that sadly had been allowed to grow to about the size of my forearm, and while it was a delight to see, it was, as expected, fibrous and bland in the eating. Timing is everything with these delicate vegetables, and this disinclination to be cooperative applies in even greater measure to the flowers.
Zucchini flowers not only have to be picked at just the right time, they are also highly perishable. You need to eat them in very short order once you get them to the kitchen. The one bit of good news is that they are extremely easy to prepare. They do provide the option to be stuffed, which is what many restaurants feel obliged to do with them. The more elaborate preparation justifies a higher price, but in most cases in my experience, also succeeds in utterly blanketing the very subtle flavor of the flowers, reducing them to the role of simply a rather expensive wrapper.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew
The first thing to note about zucchini flowers is that there are male and female flowers, which look different. The majority on the market are male flowers, not due to any innate superiority, but because there are more of them in any harvest. These male flowers are attached to a thin stem, and the flower can be easily pulled open and stuffed with cheese or other fillings. The flower of the female blossom is often a little smaller and more tightly closed, making it less suitable for stuffing, but it is attached to a mini fruit, a small zucchini, and this whole, flower and fruit, is perfect as a two-bite tempura. Wrapped in a thin crisp batter, with its floral flavor and moisture from the fruit, it is by far the most sublime base for this style of Japanese culinary preparation.
Inside, the female flowers have pistils and the male flowers stamens. Some cooks recommend removing these. I don’t know if there is some puritanical element in the removal of the organs of reproduction prior to consumption, but as both pistils and stamens are edible and flavorful, I have never seen any reason why they shouldn’t make up part of the meal.
Basically, I feel that zucchini flowers should be used as they come, with no messing around. And this includes washing. This means that you should be very careful as to where you source your zucchini flowers from, for we are constantly reminded that only very thorough washing is likely to remove pesticide and herbicide residue, and these very delicate blossoms will not stand up even to the slightest rough usage. A light brushing to remove any external dirt can be done, but really that’s about it.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew
If you are in the happy position of possessing some organic zucchini flowers, it is really a case of “less is more.” Edible flowers provide valuable nutrients despite usually only being present in small quantities, and nothing gives a summer glow to salad than the bright colors of the flowers.
One of my favorite applications for the male zucchini flower is on a pizza bianca (a white pizza that does not use a tomato base) using a mix of mozzarella, ricotta and pecorino and garnished with anchovies. Baked into the cheese, the flower makes lovely pastel patterns and the salt from the salted fish provides a background against which the delicacy of the flower’s flavor is able to shine. But for me, deep frying is the true apotheosis of the zucchini flower. If you want to stuff it with ricotta and herbs, that’s fine, but quite honestly, putting them in a nice batter and sprinkling them with good sea salt is really all that is needed.
Quick fried zucchini flowers
(Serves 4)
There are plenty of options about what kind of batter you use. Lightness is the key. Making a light beer batter with handcrafted lager, or adding beaten egg whites, or both, will definitely pay dividends if you have the time and inclination, but with the unpredictability of getting hold of the flowers and an unwillingness to leave them hanging about in the fridge for even a minute more than is absolutely necessary, I have convinced myself that a simple combination of flour and egg mix serves perfectly well. The key factors are eating them hot, rested just long enough to drain away the oil, and dusted in a high quality salt such as fleur de sel.
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 zucchini blossoms
- half cup all-purpose flour
- half cup tapioca flour (potato starch also serves well)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper to season
- about 2 cups of neutral cooking oil
Directions
1. Mix the two flours together and season with salt and pepper. Set aside next to the bowl with the lightly beaten egg.
2. Heat the oil in a small pan until it is about 160c.
3. Dip two or three of the flowers into the egg, then allow some of the excess egg to drain off. Dust the flowers with the seasoned flour and place in the hot oil.
4. Fry until the flowers turn golden brown, moving them about occasionally in the oil.
5. Remove and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
6. Eat hot with plenty of good salt.
Ian Bartholomew runs Ian’s Table, a small guesthouse in Hualien. He has lived in Taiwan for many years writing about the food scene and has decided that until you look at farming, you know nothing about the food you eat. He can be contacted at Hualien202@gmail.com.
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