I have been eating and making zucchini blossoms for as long as I can remember. My nana would make sure my grandfather picked them as soon as they were perfect! As a little girl we would fill them with ricotta and mozzarella cheese but I am going to share a delicious paleo recipe for you to enjoy. You can opt to just fry them but I feel adding a little goat cheese and scallions make this a little extra special.
I have been using tapioca more and more and really love how they come out! I also just love scallions so this combination was perfect for us. Enjoy
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Prepare a large bowl of ice and cold water (ice bath).
Drop squash blossoms into the boiling water until slightly wilted, 20 seconds then transfer immediately into the ice bath to chill. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Mix goat cheese, scallion, egg yolk, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl; stir until smooth. Spoon filling into a large releasable plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal the bag. Cut a small corner off the bag for easy stuffing.
Gently press the cut corner of the bag all the way into the open end of a blossom and squeeze to pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling inside.
Take the petals and drape them up over the filling, covering filling completely. Fold any excess petals over the top of the filled blossom to keep them out of the way.
Refrigerate filled squash blossoms until cheese is set and firm, at least 45 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl add tapioca flour, arrowroot powder and whisk together. Slowly whisk in ice-cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until batter is smooth and have the resemblance of pancake batter.
Add coconut oil to a depth of 1 inch into a cast iron pan (works best) and place over medium-high heat. Heat oil until a thermometer placed into the oil, not touching the bottom, reads 350 degrees F.
Once the pan is hot remove the prepared squash blossoms from refrigerator and lightly dredge with the flour mixture on all sides. Shake off excess flour.
In batches add each blossom to the the hot oil and fry for 1 minute then carefully flip over and fry for another minute. Using tongs remove from the hot oil and place on a paper towel lined plate.
Season with sea salt, let cool slightly then enjoy!
Cindy’s Tips on Zucchini Blossoms
My Nana always tole me to pick the flowers first thing in the morning as they are closed nice and tight. Rinse them under cold water and go for the male flowers. The male flowers do not have a zucchini attached to them. You ask why? By the time the zucchini grows off the stem the flower is usually not very fresh and already starting to brown. Notice my picture – these are all male flowers.
Store your zucchini flowers refrigerated in a tightly sealed bag until ready to use. Use within 2 days!