🌼 Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Samian Cheeses

🧀 Crispy blossoms with a creamy, aromatic filling

Zucchini blossoms stuffed with cheese are a summer recipe that makes use of one of the most delicate ingredients from the vegetable garden.

In the Samian version, the fresh blossoms are filled with anthotyro and feta from Samos, flavoured with parsley, mint and broad-leaf basil, then coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs before being fried until golden.

The result is a delicious contrast: a crisp exterior and a soft, savoury cheese filling inside.

They are the kind of meze that needs very little accompaniment — just make sure they reach the table while still warm.

👨‍🍳 Method

1. Clean the zucchini blossoms

Clean the blossoms very carefully with a slightly damp cloth.

Do not press them or rinse them vigorously, as the petals are extremely delicate.

Gently open each blossom and remove the stamen from the centre.

2. Prepare the filling

Crumble the anthotyro and feta into a bowl.

Add the finely chopped parsley, mint leaves and broad-leaf basil.

Season with a little freshly ground pepper and a small amount of grated nutmeg.

Mix until the filling is evenly combined.

Use salt sparingly, as feta is already quite salty.

3. Fill the blossoms

Using a small teaspoon, place a little filling inside each zucchini blossom.

Do not overfill them, as they may open during frying.

For easier filling, a piping bag can also be used.

Gently fold the tips of the petals over the filling.

4. Prepare the coating

Place the following in three separate dishes:

• flour,
• beaten eggs,
• breadcrumbs.

Coat each stuffed blossom first in the flour, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs.

Handle them carefully so the coating covers the blossoms without crushing them.

5. Fry

Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan.

Once the oil is hot, fry only a few zucchini blossoms at a time.

Turn them carefully until they develop an even golden colour.

Remove with a slotted spoon and place on absorbent kitchen paper to drain excess oil.

🥣 Yoghurt sauce for serving

A simple yoghurt sauce makes an excellent optional accompaniment.

Mix strained yoghurt with a little lemon juice, olive oil and finely chopped mint.

The sauce should remain light and fresh, complementing the cheeses rather than overpowering them.

🍽️ Serving

Serve the zucchini blossoms immediately after frying, while the coating is still crisp and the cheese filling remains warm and creamy.

They work beautifully as a summer meze, starter or part of a table filled with small dishes.

And as usual with anything freshly fried, the first one somehow gets “tested” in the kitchen and never reaches the table. 😄

🥣 Ingredients

For 12 zucchini blossoms

• 12 zucchini blossoms
• 200 g anthotyro cheese from Samos
• 300 g feta cheese from Samos
• ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 5–6 mint leaves
• 3–4 broad-leaf basil leaves, finely chopped
• Grated nutmeg
• Salt, sparingly
• Freshly ground pepper

For the coating

• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 500 g breadcrumbs

For frying

• Sunflower oil or another suitable frying oil