🌼 Fried zucchini flowers (fiori di zucca fritti)
Fiori di zucca fritti are courgette blossoms stuffed with a little ricotta and a piece of anchovy, dipped in a light egg-and-flour batter and deep-fried. The petals turn crisp and lacy while the filling stays soft, creamy and salty. In Rome they are a classic starter in pizzerias and trattorias, eaten hot as soon as they leave the fryer.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 zucchini flowers
- 150 g ricotta
- 6 anchovy fillets, halved
- 100 g flour
- 1 egg
- 150 ml cold sparkling water
- Oil for deep-frying, salt
Method
- Gently open each flower, remove the pistil and check for insects.
- Put about a teaspoon of ricotta and half an anchovy fillet inside each flower and twist the petals closed.
- Whisk the egg with the cold water, then whisk in the flour and a pinch of salt to a thin batter.
- Heat the oil to 175 °C, dip the flowers in batter and fry a few at a time for 2–3 minutes until golden.
- Drain on paper and sprinkle with a little salt; serve at once.
How to make it lighter
- Two or three flowers make a starter; add a large green salad for a meal.
- Use a thin batter and let the excess drip off — less batter absorbs less oil.
- Bake them at 220 °C brushed with 1 tbsp oil instead of deep-frying for a lighter version.
History
Fried courgette flowers are part of the Roman tradition of fritti, the fried starters served before pizza; the Roman version is usually filled with mozzarella and anchovy, and ricotta fillings are common elsewhere in Italy. They are a seasonal dish, made in late spring and summer when the flowers are picked.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →