There’s a certain time of year when home gardeners start offering up their overly-plentiful zucchini harvests. Sometimes it’s to friends and family. Sometimes it’s in a cardboard box on the porch with a sign saying “FREE” for the taking. In addition to zucchini bread, muffins and a simple saute in olive oil, the bounty of squash will likely find a use. But for those who purposely caught their harvest at the right time, when flowers appear, a deliciously delicate treat awaits. Real Food Traveler’s Europe Editor, Irvina Lew, shares her connections to fried zucchini blossom beignets through the years, from France to her home in New York and back again. And, she shares her method for making them so we can all give it a try. 

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‘TIS THE SEASON: Fried Zucchini Blossom Beignets

It’s August and Sage, the 26-year-old youngest of my two granddaughters stopped by en route to Fire Island. I encourage her visits by cooking what she likes and driving her to and from the ferry and train. Yesterday, I made her pancakes in the new crèpe pan that I bought at the famous E. Dehillerin cookware shop, in Paris (where Julia Child bought her everything, especially her copper pots). I served them topped with a little sauce made from a few blueberries, a peach, enough maple syrup to coat the bottom of the saucepan and a heaping spoonful of my friend Esther’s homemade preserves made from the harvest from her blueberry patch.

Today, French favorites were on my mind as I was driving home from an author talk, including memories of the Beignets de Fleurs de Courgettes that I had bought and eaten hot from the deep-fat fryer (five for 5Euro) at the market in St. Paul de Vence. I had talked about the difficulty of finding zucchini blossoms at my farmers markets with Chef Charles on his radio show and mentioned that I grow zucchinis, just for the flowers, which I love to cook and serve. He advised me that local farmers Gina and Dan Napolitano grow them in Brentwood, which is near my house, so I decided to stop by and chance that they had some because none had yet appeared in my garden. Dan gave me a handful, just enough for a snack.

Squash entered Europe via Central and South America and recipes that showcase the courgette were first developed in northern Italy having arrived in Europe from Central and South American explorations and trade. In any case, the zucchini ultimately reached France via Nice and has become essential to Provençal cuisine. This occurred in the mid-19th century, because in 1860, the Niçois population didn’t want to become part of unified Italy and the city of Nice was ceded to France by the Treaty of Turin. Like many Italian foods familiar along the southern, Mediterranean coast of France, recipes using zucchini, called courgettes in French, were popular.

Zucchini blossoms on the plant. Photo courtesy of Canva.com.

Their blossoms are prepared in almost every way imaginable, they are eaten raw in a salad, as toasty beignets (fritters) or farcis, stuffed flowers that contain meat, rice, cheese, or truffles. In 1978, chef Jacques Maximin at the iconic Nice Hotel Le Negresco, in Nice, stuffed zucchini flowers with truffles and created a trend-setting dish in which the flowers were still attached to the baby fruit. His methodology instructs cooks to leave the blossoms out —unrefrigerated and unwashed— until ready to use, so they don’t get soggy. (A quick rinse in cold water and a drip dry on terry cloth won’t hurt.) Maximin removed the pistil in the center of the female flowers (it traps and holds pollen) before stuffing and frying the dry blossoms; he served them floating in a garlic cream sauce.

At about the same time, the great chef Roger Vergé created a fabulously famous, truffle-stuffed version with a buttery mushroom sauce. I didn’t get to the Riviera until 1990, but I was on a mission to taste them. Eventually, during a solo trip to the Côte d’Azur, in the mid or late 90s, I drove up the hillside to his Michelin-starred restaurant Moulin de Mougins, at night, and paid an exorbitant sum (I think about $75?) for the still-memorable experience. Later, when he opened a restaurant across from Rockefeller Center, in New York, I wrote about him again, and about the chef at Terre Blanche, which is not far from Mougins, who worked with him. Verge passed away at age 85 in 2015, but I lunched wonderfully at his second restaurant, L’Amandier de Mougins, in 2025, and after lunch had a chance to see all the historical pictures of Verge with famous folk on the walls there. (It’s in an old olive mill, next to the École de Cuisine du Soleil, which Roger Verge founded in 1977, and where you can currently book a 2 ½ hour cooking class.)

Making Fried Zucchini Blossom Beignets

Today, in less time than I spent writing the paragraphs above, I followed the steps described in my book Forays in France, chez moi: Beignets de Fleur de Courgettes.

1. Photographed the blossoms on a plate from Olivier Leflaive’s hotel in Puligny

Zucchini blossoms on a favorite plate, ready to be dipped in batter.

2. Added some freshly-cut slivers of chives to yesterday’s pancake batter (1 cup Bisquick; ½ cup milk; one egg)

Chives added to a Bisquick batter.

3. Heated some EVOO with some added truffle oil and waited until a drop of water sizzled in the pan

4. Dipped and transported each flower into the oil. (I used a tweezer for the first time, because I consider their delicatesse worth it)

5. Turned them to caramelize on three sides

Frying the zucchini blossoms in oil, turning occasionally.

6. Drained them on a paper towel

7. Sprinkled them all with Maldon salt

8. Topped each differently: plain but salted, Edmond Fallot truffle mustard, Edmond Fallot saffron mustard (not for me) and, dipped in sour cream with dill. That was my favorite, so I had the last one with sour cream.

Fried zucchini blossoms can be topped simply with salt, various mustards, or sauces. It’s personal preference.

Bon Appetit!

-Story and photos, except where noted, by Irvina Lew, Real Food Traveler Europe Editor

Hungry for more? Read Irvina’s popular article about restaurants with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

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