Fried Squash Blossoms

Truth be told, I’ve never served a squash blossom dish nor do I recall sampling one, so I was looking for a straightforward recipe in which the flower stars. There are a million ways to cook them stuffed, but I wanted to experience the flavor and texture unadulterated. I found what I was looking for at the The Spruce Eats—a simple approach compliments of Emily Han.

Ingredients

15 large squash blossoms (zucchini, fresh, gently rinsed and thoroughly dried)

1 large egg

1/2 cup sparkling water (or club soda, well-chilled)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt (fine sea salt)

Pinch of nutmeg (freshly ground)

3 cups oil (approximately, for frying, peanut oil or any other neutral-flavored, high-smoke-point frying oil)

Prepare the Flowers

Remove the stem (if male), the pistils (if female) or stamen (if male) inside of each flower (both male and female zucchini flowers are edible, they just have different parts! Female blossoms are attached to the fruit -- i.e., a zucchini, while male blossoms are attached to a stem), and the prickly sepals around the bottom of each blossom (both male and female). You can slice the flower off of the squash or stem with a sharp paring knife, and you should be able to just snap the other parts (sepals and pistils or stamen) off with your fingers. 

For the Batter

Gather the ingredients.

Separate the eggs, keeping both eggs and yolks.

Set the whites aside for now and in a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the yolks.

Stir in the sparkling water, then slowly whisk in the flour, salt, and nutmeg. Then beat the whites with an electric hand mixer until they form soft peaks.

Gently fold the egg whites into the batter mixture. Dip a finger into the batter to check its thickness: it should just lightly coat your fingertip. If too thick, you can thin it with a bit more sparkling water. If too thin, you can whisk in a little more flour. 

Heat the frying oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet (use enough oil that the flowers will not touch the bottom of the pan or pot when frying). When the oil is hot, dip each flower into the batter mixture, gently letting any excess batter drip off, and then fry, turning gently, until light golden brown.

Fry in batches and be careful not to crowd the pan, so that they will cook evenly and not lower the temperature of the frying oil. Drain briefly on a paper-towel-lined platter or tray, sprinkle with salt and serve immediately, while still hot and crisp.