Starters
Zucchini blossom fritters
Crisp zucchini blossom fritters the Niçoise way — a light batter lifted with whipped egg whites, fried in olive oil and eaten straight from the pan.
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- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 5 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg yolks and the tablespoon of olive oil and start whisking from the centre.
Gradually whisk in the milk, then the water, until you have a smooth batter the thickness of heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare the blossoms without washing them. Open each flower gently, check for insects and shake off any soil. Pinch out the pistil or stamen inside, snap off the small green spikes at the base and trim the stem, leaving 3–4 cm (1 ½ inches) to hold it by.
Just before frying, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to firm peaks and fold them gently into the rested batter.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan to about 170 °C (340 °F); a drop of batter should sizzle and rise straight away without browning at once.
Holding each blossom by its stem, dip it in the batter, let the excess drip back into the bowl and lay it in the hot oil. Fry a few at a time, 1–2 minutes per side, until puffed and golden.
Lift the fritters out by their stems, drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and serve at once on a warmed plate.
Tips
- Buy or pick the blossoms the day you cook them, ideally in the morning when they are open. They wilt within hours.
- The egg whites make the batter light and airy; fold them in at the last moment or they lose their volume.
- Leftover batter is never wasted in Nice. Stir in a coarsely grated small zucchini and fry spoonfuls of it to make zucchini fritters.
- Female flowers still attached to a baby zucchini can be fried the same way; slice the little zucchini lengthwise first so it cooks through.
Watch it being made
Nonna Pia's Crispy Golden-Fried Zucchini Flowers! — Nonna Pia (YouTube). The player loads only when you press play.
A summer snack from the garden
In Nice, zucchini are picked young and small, and the plants produce far more flowers than fruit. Rather than let them go to waste, cooks dip the blossoms in batter and fry them. The result is one of the simplest and most loved starters of Niçoise home cooking: a crisp, golden shell around a flower that almost melts, with the faint sweetness of the zucchini itself.
Fritters of all kinds — blossoms, zucchini, eggplant, sometimes sage leaves — have long been part of everyday eating along this coast, served at home as a starter or with an aperitif. Fried in olive oil, as they traditionally are here, they take on a fruity, slightly nutty taste that neutral oil does not give.
Choosing the blossoms
From late spring to early autumn, bunches of zucchini flowers appear on market stalls in Nice, on the Cours Saleya and elsewhere. Look for blossoms that are bright yellow-orange, still slightly open and not limp or slimy at the tips. Male flowers, on a long bare stem, are the ones most often sold; female flowers come attached to a tiny zucchini and are just as good.
If you grow zucchini, pick the flowers in the morning, when they are open and easy to check for bees and insects, and cook them the same day. Keep them loosely laid on a plate in the refrigerator until you need them, never packed in a bag.
The batter
The batter here is closer to a light crêpe batter than to a tempura: flour, egg yolks, a little olive oil, and a mix of milk and water. It needs half an hour of rest so the flour absorbs the liquid and the fritters come out tender. The whipped egg whites, folded in at the last moment, are what make the coating puff up and stay crisp. Some cooks replace the water with cold sparkling water for an even lighter result.
Variations
- Stuffed blossoms: in Nice, zucchini flowers are also part of the family of stuffed vegetables. Filled with a mix of rice, cheese and herbs, or simply with fresh brousse, they usually go into the oven with the other farcis instead of the frying pan.
- Zucchini fritters: grate a small zucchini into the leftover batter and fry it by the spoonful.
- With herbs: a little chopped basil or parsley in the batter works well.
Serving
Serve the fritters the moment they leave the pan, lightly salted, as a starter or with a glass of chilled rosé. They go well before a plate of grilled pepper salad, and if you are in the mood for frying, finish the meal with a batch of ganses dusted with sugar.
Questions & answers
Should I wash zucchini blossoms?
It is better not to. Water gets trapped inside the petals and makes the batter soggy and the oil spit. Shake them, check for insects and wipe off any soil with a dry brush or paper towel.
Male or female zucchini flowers?
Both work. Male flowers grow on a long thin stem and are the ones usually sold in bunches; female flowers grow at the end of a small zucchini. Fry them the same way.
Can I make the fritters ahead?
Not really. They are at their best within minutes of frying. You can make the batter an hour or two ahead and keep it cool, then whip and fold in the egg whites just before cooking.
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