One of the best things about shopping at farmers markets is the potential to be surprised by the fleeting appearance of unusual and special produce rarely seen in supermarkets. And so it was one morning at the Davies Park Market, when I spotted several trays of bright yellow courgette flowers at one of the stalls we frequent. I have eaten courgette flowers at restaurants a few times, but had never seen them for sale in their raw, unadulterated purity. It is unlikely that you would ever find them at supermarkets because the short life span of the delicate flowers makes them unsuited to withstanding supermarket conditions and customer expectations of reasonable shelf life. The flowers deteriorate quickly, and in an ideal world I would cook with flowers plucked minutes ago from own vegetable garden. However, finding a tray of 20 bright and still-waxy flowers at the market is surely a close second, especially when some random planetary alignment had earlier made me buy a container of fresh goat cheese from the stall around the corner.
Courgettes are one of my favourite vegetables (and I should say that they are always the French courgettes to me, rather than zucchini, the Italian name for the same vegetable). I love their mild flavour and creamy-yet-crunchy texture. I eat them roasted, char-grilled, stewed in ratatouille, and sauteed with plenty of garlic as a simple pasta sauce. I had never cooked the flowers before, and wanted to find a simple recipe that showcased their fresh and delicate qualities. Most recipes will have you battering and deep-frying the flowers (as fiori di zucchini ripieni), and while this is an undeniably delicious way to go, deep frying is one of those methods that I leave for occasional indulgence at restaurants. Searching on the Internet I found a recipe for baked stuffed flowers that looks promising, but since baking is out of the question for me right now, I settled on a recipe for pan-fried flowers that I used as a general guide, substituting flavours that appealed to me and reflected what I had on hand. The result was a plate of tender-crisp courgettes attached to stuffed, flavour-packed flowers that would make a special nibble to serve with pre-dinner drinks, or, in my case, a luxurious lunch for one.
Courgette Flowers stuffed with Goat Cheese and Herbs
8-10 fresh courgette flowers with tiny courgettes attached (these are female flowers as male flowers do not have a courgette attached. Male flowers are just as tasty, but lack the cute-factor of the attached baby vegetable)
1 cup fresh goat cheese (or substitute ricotta or labneh, or for a richer version, try a very mild and creamy feta or mascarpone cheese)
3-4 Tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I used dill, parsley and a little purple basil)
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp finely grated parmesan
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp cornflour
Squeeze of lemon, to serve
Place whatever cheese you are using into a bowl, add the herbs, lemon zest, parmesan and olive oil and mix together. Season with a hefty pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Taste, and add further salt, herbs, lemon and/or parmesan until you have achieved a satisfyingly punchy flavour. Set aside while you prepare the flowers.
Check that the flowers are clean, and if dirty, wipe carefully with a damp cloth taking care not to damage the flowers or get too much water on them. Taking one flower, gently prise open the petals to reveal the bulbous stigma at the base. Remove the stigma by pinching it off with your fingernails or cutting with a paring knife (the stigma isn’t inedible, but simply has a slightly bitter flavour and is best removed). This small operation also gives you the opportunity to ensure that the flower is free of bugs within. Then, using a teaspoon, gently deposit about two rounded teaspoonfuls of the cheese mixture into the centre of the flower. You can also use a piping bag to fill the flowers. Give the petals a little twist at the top to encase the mixture, and then repeat until each flower is stuffed and ready to be fried.
Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat and add several tablespoons of olive oil until the bottom is coated with oil. Break the egg into a small bowl and beat with the cornflower and a pinch of salt. Once the pan has heated, quickly coat each flower with egg and place in the hot pan. Fry until lightly golden and then flip over onto the second side. Some of the cheese mixture will ooze out during this process.
Don’t worry if the baby courgettes receive minimal contact with the pan: they are already so tender that they require little more than heating through (however, if you would like to cook them more thoroughly, consider placing a single vertical cut along the length of the vegetable, taking care not to cut too close to the base of the flower).
Once the flower is lightly fried on both sides, remove to a plate, spritz with lemon and eat immediately.
Chez Moi 
These look good enough to eat! Thank you for the recipe and the wonderful images. I am going to surprise my wife and make these for her……
I hope that she likes them! I’m sure that she will – it’s hard not to be won over by cute baby courgettes and flowers. It’s the middle of winter here in Brisbane but it’s so mild and courgette fliers have already started showing up at the markets. Must make these again.
Pingback: The Courgettes are coming! – Andrew In The Garden
Pingback: Stuffed Squash Blossoms – Pleasant Peasant Cuisine
thank you!
Wow, what a yummy and delish looking dish! Beautiful photos as well, thank you so much for sharing.
Best regards,
Dina
It’s spring here in Australia so I’m hoping to spot courgette flowers at the market soon. It’s been too long since I last made this dish!
Pingback: The 10 Best Edible Flowers - The Salonniere
Pingback: Provençal song – Lipstick & Miracles
Love stuffed courgette flowers. You find them a lot in Rome, just the flower, filled with mozzarella and anchovy, battered and deep-fried (fiori di zucca).
I’ve had battered ones at a restaurant but haven’t cooked them like that at home. The addition of anchovy sounds really, really good – I wouldn’t have thought of using such a bold flavour with the delicate flowers, but with crunchy batter and gooey cheese, it just sounds so perfect. Those Italians know a thing or two about food…
Ha, true. Don’t know what kind of anchovies you get there, but the Roman fiori di zucca would be at their best with a most subtle salted anchovy, rather than the really strong ones we get in oil in jars.
Good to know, thanks Daniel ☺️
They are ubiquitous and so inexpensive in the mercados in Oaxaca and I buy them often to put in omelets and empanadas. Gracias, I will definitely try this!
Oh I am so jealous! I suppose that this means they aren’t particularly special to you though?
10 pesos for gallon baggy means cooking with them is doable, but always special!!
I am glad to hear that, it would break my heart to think of them as common 😊
Gorgeous, one of the husbands fave dishes.
Your comment has made me realise that I I haven’t made this dish since I posted this recipe – over one year ago! I hardly ever see courgette flowers for sale and when I do, they are usually ridiculously expensive or far from fresh. This dish is about seizing the moment when it presents itself! Thanks for stopping by cheergerm 🙂
Delicious recipe – thanks! I have home-grown squash flowers in a conservatory. A small pedantic botanical point: as the flowers with mini-courgettes below them are female, they do not have stamens (male parts) but have stigmas (female parts).
Hi Crinan, thanks so much for the correction – I will rectify this tonight!
that sounds amazing. We’ve got a load of tiny courgettes on the allotment at the moment, so I might have to go and pick some of the flowers tonight…
Hi Dave, if you have the flowers then absolutely make this! Freshly picked flowers would be amazing (I am jealous of your allotment), and they’re not around for very long. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Pingback: The Pros and Pros of Courgettes | Diggin' For Victory!
Absolutely fabulous! I have reblogged part as an intro on Things that Fizz & Stuff: http://thingsthatfizz.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/how-to-cook/ Used two of your lovely photos too 🙂
I have never heard of such before, and am intrigued.
AV
Pingback: How to cook… | Things that Fizz & Stuff
We always have an abundance of courgettes (and flowers) from my husbands allotment and like you try not to deep fry things, but this recipe looks and sounds absolutely delicious. I’ll definitely be giving a try this summer. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks for your comment Karen. I am jealous of your easy access to courgette flowers! I hope you enjoy the recipe – do let me know how it goes.
It’s been years since I’ve made courgette flowers. It was a regular dish I’d cook back in my restaurant days…These look fabulous!
Thanks Michelle, they are a special ingredient indeed. I haven’t seen them at the market since! One day, when I have space to have a vegetable garden again, I’ll grow courgettes especially to cook with the flowers – what luxury!
You have lovely photography! Thoroughly enjoying your posts and happy to be your newest followers -Kate, http://www.2chefs1home.com
Thanks Kate, I enjoyed looking around your blog too!
Looks delish! Beautiful photos of the recipe!
Pingback: Keeping them fresH2O | bunchofcilantro
This is definitely a great post. Beautiful photographs too.
I’ve always been a little scared to make courgette flowers, even though they are an absolute favourite of mine, but your post makes it look so manageable, I’m going to have to give them a try. Thanks.
They are a little fiddly, especially when getting the stamen out and the stuffing in, but the flowers are surprisingly robust. The petals feel almost like fabric – very soft, but still substantial. I hope that you have fun making them!