I MADE SQUASH BLOSSOMS 7 WAYS SO YOU CAN PICK YOUR FAVORITE TO TRY!

I find Squash Blossoms, the edible orangey yellow flowers from a zucchini or other squash plants, so seductive. There’s a lot of joy when you cook with them, as they’re so delicate and beautiful, you want to handle them with love and care. Your dinner guests would also feel special when you serve them a Squash Blossoms dish, it’s like a unique treat!

I have cooked Squash Blossoms in a variety of cuisines, from Italian, Mexican to Asian styles, and even as a dessert, so you can just pick your favorite recipe and try it out! They are so delicious and relatively easy to prepare.

Where to find Squash Blossoms?

Summer is the Squash Blossoms season, you can find them at the farmers markets or sometimes in grocery stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe.  Pick bright and fresh showers which have not shriveled. There are male and female blossoms, but it doesn’t matter as both are edible and cooked the same way. It’s best to use them right away. If not, they can be stored in the refrigerator for couple of days in a closed container, so they won’t get squashed (a supermarket clear cookies or cupcakes plastic container would do).

My daughter in law has planted many types of vegetables and herbs in her garden, and I’m the lucky recipient of an abundant supply of squash blossoms throughout summer.

How to prepare and clean Squash Blossoms

With a pastry brush, gently remove any dirt or pollen. Blow into the flower so the petals would separate, remove the pistil from inside. Some cooks remove the green leaf like base that connects the flower to the stem with scissors, but I like to keep it for its slightly crunchy texture.

Delicately place the blossoms in a bowl of water, with your fingers, swirl them around. Carefully remove them from the water and lightly shake them, and lay them on a clean kitchen towel, and gently pat them dry with the towel. Allow them to air dry.

How to Cook Squash Blossoms

There are so many ways to cook Squash Blossoms, the most common way is to deep fry them. Some recipes use them shredded in salads, frittatas or quesadillas.

As Squash Blossoms are so beautiful, I prefer to use them whole in my recipes…

I have also tried a variety of batter recipes and different cooking ways, from deep frying, shallow frying to stir frying. Read on to find the verdict.

Squash Blossoms Italian style

I have tasted different Zucchini Blossoms in Italy and my favorite recipe is from Tuscany. They are easy to prepare and the stuffing requires only a few ingredients such as ricotta cheese, grated Romano cheese, Mozzarella, and garlic powder.  The stuffed squash blossoms are then dipped in eggs, milk, cheese, flour and chopped parsley batter and pan fried to crispiness. Here’s the Italian Squash Blossoms stuffed with cheese recipe , I encourage you to try it!

In this recipe, the Squash Blossoms are shallow fried, requiring less oil, the stuffing is so flavorful, with a light batter.

This is one of my favorite recipes as biting into one of these delicious blossoms instantly takes me back to my wonderful Tuscany vacation!

Squash Blossoms Mexican style

In order to prepare authentic Mexican Squash Blossom, I have followed the recipe by renowned Reyna Mendoza of El Sabor Zapoteco.

The stuffing is simpler than the Italian version, using only Queso Fresco (similar to ricotta cheese), and instead of a batter, the stuffed Squash Blossoms are coated in flour, dipped in well beaten egg then in bread crumbs before being pan fried. Here’s the Mexican Stuffed Squash Blossoms recipe on my blog.

This dish is delicious as the bread crumbs add some crispy texture to the coating. Of all the Squash Blossoms recipes that I have tested, this is the easiest one. The Italian recipe though has more depth of flavors as using different types of cheeses and herbs in the stuffing.

Squash Blossoms Vietnamese style

This dish has met with the most enthusiastic response from my family. I have used a shrimp paste stuffing, but you could also use a fish paste mixed with spices and dill.

The batter yields an incredible crispy and fluffy texture after deep frying.

These Squash Blossoms fritters are served with fresh lettuce and Asian herbs and rice vermicelli and dipped in spicy garlicky fish sauce and each morsel is a true delight.

Here’s my recipe for Vietnamese style Crispy Squash Blossoms.

Vegetarian Squash Blossoms Chinese style

I like this recipe as it uses both the Squash Blossoms as well as their stems and leaves.

The stuffing is made with finely chopped mushrooms and aromatics, and the Squash Blossoms are then dipped in beaten egg then corn starch and shallow fried, so there’s no need to prepare a batter.

The Squash stems and leaves (or any other green vegetable) are stir fried in a tangy sauce made with soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, dark vinegar, ginger, chili and garlic. The Squash Blossoms are then served with the green vegetable and sauce, to be enjoyed with steamed rice. Here’s the Chinese Vegetarian Stuffed Squash Blossom recipe on my blog.

Squash Blossoms in Clear Broth Asian style

I tasted Squash Blossoms for the first time in Vietnam, served in a clear soup. It was such a delicate and light dish.

Clear soups are part of family-style meal in Asia. My favorite clear soup is made with spare ribs as the bone adds more depth of flavor to the broth, and the meat is cooked till tender.

The Squash Blossoms truly elevate the soup: they are stuffed with shrimp paste before being quickly poached in the tasty broth, together with their stems and leaves.  I like to serve the spare ribs separately with a side dip of just salt & pepper.

Here’s my Asian Stuffed Squash Blossoms in Clear Soup recipe.

Vegetarian Squash Blossoms with Squash Soup Thai style

Firstly, the vegetarian Squash Soup with Thai flavors is so tasty and satisfying, it may become your favorite soup recipe! Here’s the recipe.

To go with it, I made vegetarian Squash Blossoms stuffed with taro paste (or you could use purple yam or sweet potato paste if you wish). The smooth taro paste goes so well with the crispy and airy Thai flavored coating made with flour, egg, coconut flakes and toasted sesame.

It’s an incredibly delicious Vegetarian dinner, and definitely one of my favorites!

Here’s my recipe for the Squash Blossoms stuffed with Taro paste

Squash Blossoms stuffed with Salted Egg Yolk Dessert

I have never had Squash Blossoms as a dessert before and thought why not?

Salted eggs yolks have been trending all over Asia.  Egg yolks are cured and salted, yielding a salty umami flavor comparable to Parmesan. They are added to savory dishes as well as sweets such as moon cakes, pound cakes, choux and pastries. My daughter in law use salted egg yolks stuffing in steamed buns, yielding a golden lava. Even Krispy Kreme sells Salted Eggs Yolk flavor donuts in Thailand.

The salted eggs yolks are mixed with a mixture of butter, custard powder and sugar to yield a golden rich stuffing for the Squash Blossoms.  The best part?  After deep frying the Squash Blossoms, they are served piping hot, and if you break one open, the salted egg stuffing spills out like golden lava…

Here’s my recipe for Squash Blossoms stuffed with Salted Egg Yolk

The Verdict?

It’s hard to pick as I have so much joy cooking with Squash Blossoms! My family’s favorite is the Vietnamese style.

For me, it’s a tie between the Italian style and the Thai style, with the taro filling and Squash soup…

How about the most stunning wow factor? It’s definitely the dessert: Crispy Squash Blossoms stuffed with Salted Egg Yolk gold lava!

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and will be tempted to cook with Squash Blossom which are in season now!

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