Eating healthy food and exercising is important for maintaining a healthy life. But sometimes we crave food that is not that good for us.
Beer battered fried zucchini flowers are a great way to feed your fried food craving, while at the same time eating in season food. This recipe makes a great appetizer or an afternoon snack - and it will definitely satisfy your fried food craving. There’s even beer left over for you to enjoy while you cook!
Beer Battered Zucchini Flowers
Makes about two servings, takes about 30 minutes
12 to 15 Zucchini flowers
1 cup of Ontario craft beer
1 cup of flour
Oil, enough to cover 1 cm height in a pan
Salt and pepper
Parmesan for sprinkling
Zucchini flowers will often have a bit of dirt on them or a little beetle inside the flower. Neither of these should be a cause for alarm. The dirt can be gently removed with a wet paper towel, it’s important that you don’t submerge the Zucchini flowers under water to remove the dirt because the water will make the hot oil splutter - you really need to avoid that at all costs! The bugs are easily removed with a teaspoon.
Once the flowers have been cleaned, you should mix the flour and the beer together. You will notice that the mixture is very easy to combine, and it should resemble basic pancake mixture. Add salt and pepper to the batter.
Add the oil to the pan and turn the heat to high. While the oil begins to heat up, take each zucchini flower and submerge them in the batter. I try to keep all of the battered zucchini flowers in the batter plate as I add the remaining flowers to the batter. It’s very important that the batter does not end up inside of the zucchini flowers because the batter will not cook.
To check whether the oil is ready, dip your finger in the batter and let one drop of the batter drip into the oil. You will know the oil is ready when the batter immediately begins to sizzle and float to the top. Add the zucchini flowers one by one, and scrape the excess batter on the side of the plate but make sure all of the zucchini flowers are covered in batter. The batter on the zucchini should be very thin because you want the zucchini flowers to cook quickly
Wait one minute and turn the zucchini flowers. They should be a light golden colour. I usually continue to turn the zucchini flowers until they turn a light golden colour on all sides. Once the correct colour is reached, remove the zucchini flowers and place them on a paper towel to absorb the oil. Continue to add the remaining zucchini flowers until they are all cooked.
Sprinkle the parmesan on top of the fried flower while still hot.
My mother and I cannot wait for the zucchini flowers to arrive at the farm near our house and we are very excited to eat them.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Want to know where you can buy craft beer near you? Click here.
– Andreea Nicoara
