Squash blossoms, part 1: Fried squash blossoms

I decided on two recipe ideas for my squash blossoms. The general consensus seems to be that they’re perfect for deep frying. Paula from Pure Perfection Catering also suggested I try a squash blossom quesadilla. Anything fried or stuffed in between layers of melted cheese sounds good to me. First, the frying.

Battered and Deep-Fried Squash Blossoms

You’ll need:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

squash blossoms

vegetable oil for frying

Heat your vegetable oil to about 375 degrees. Mix the flour, water and spices. Dip each blossom in the batter when the oil is hot enough and lower them into the hot oil. If the batter is coming off in the oil, the oil isn’t hot enough.

Fry for a minute or two, or until they turn a golden brown color. Pull them out with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel.

While I was at it, I decided to fry up some onion rings too, using the same batter. The batter doesn’t stick as well to the onions, so I dipped them in egg, then in flour, then in the batter.

I’ve also seen recipes where beer is used instead of water and many where the onion rings are soaked in buttermilk before being battered. There are also variations where the egg is incorporated in the batter. The ingredients are cheap enough to experiment with.

The spices in the batter add great flavor and heat, but as with any fried food, both the squash blossoms and onion rings are great positively addictive when dipped in ranch. Which is the precise reason I’ve not yet purchased one of these.