Whether you pick blossoms from your garden or buy them at the farmers market, choose male flowers. The males — which don't produce a vegetable but exist to pollinate the females — are recognizable by their long, straight stems and the unmistakably male-looking stamen in the center of each blossom. Females swell at the base of the blossom, where the squash forms, and four little shoots make up the pistil inside. Some chefs like to fry female blossoms when the baby zucchini is just emerging and still attached, but Mexican and Italian purists wouldn't hear of it. Other chefs like to remove the stamen of the male flowers, but it isn't necessary.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk flour into beer or soda to make batter.
Step 2
Dip blossoms in batter to thinly coat.
Step 3
Fry blossoms in a saucepan, 2 or 3 at a time, in 1 inch of hot (375°F) oil.
Step 4
Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
