Crab and barramundi-stuffed zucchini blossoms

A few weeks ago as part of my cheffing course I did two days of work experience in a local Italian restaurant famed for it’s house-made pastas and bread and simple, rustic fare.

I was pretty nervous on my first day having no real restaurant experience and conscious of the fact that the kitchen was tiny and I’d more than likely be a hindrance than help.

Despite the size of the kitchen and the erratic environment the head chef was patient, attentive and a brilliant teacher. I walked away from my brief stint excited, inspired and dying to try out some of the dishes at home.

One of my jobs over the two days was to stuff the ravioli. Sounds a little dull perhaps but I reveled in the task. The filling was a mixture of blue swimmer crab, snapper, mascarpone and chives.

The paper-thin ravioli was served simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil and garnished with peppery rocket punctuated by salty shavings of dried mullet roe. Gorgeous.

I recently re-created the dish at home sans roe. And since my pasta machine is still in storage (yes, it’s been almost a year) I cheated and used wonton wrappers. A good substitute if you’re in a rush. It was divine. I’ll be sharing the recipe in my next post.

I made a little too much filling and decided to use it to stuff zucchini blossoms. A good decision. I used barramundi as opposed to snapper as it was half the price but beautiful nonetheless. The zucchini blossoms were coated in a light batter and then fried for about two minutes. It’s a wonderful appetizer but one that needs to be eaten straight away to appreciate the delicate crunch and oozing filling.

For a refresher on how to stuff and fry zucchini blossoms, click here.

Crab and barramundi stuffed zucchini blossoms

FILLING

150g steamed crab meat
150g steamed barramundi or white fish meat
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives
1/4 tsp sea salt

10 zucchini blossoms
2/3 cup & 1/8 cup of all-purposed flour
1 cup of soda water
1 1/2 cups of vegetable or canola oil

Method:

1. I used two blue swimmer crabs which I cut in half and steamed for 4-5 minutes. I then transferred them to a plate to cool while I steamed the barramundi fillet for 7-9 minutes. Next I extracted the crab meat using a small fork and placed it in a bowl. I then flaked the fish, being careful to discard any bones and added it to the crab meat. Next, add the mascarpone cheese, chives and salt and mixe well.
2. Cover mixture and refrigerate until needed.
3. For the stuffing stage see my step-by-step instructions on how to stuff and fry the blossoms.

Comments

[mycookinghut]

Sounds yummy!!! Crab and fish.. nice!

[Simon Food Favourites]

these sound really good. would have loved to see a cut through photo of what's inside :-)

[Cherine]

Looks delicious!! Great photo :)

[Ciaochowlinda]

Be still my heart! zucchini blossoms in March? lucky you.

[Ketchup]

These look fantastic... stuffed anything is great!

[Stella]

I used to work at a restaurant that served organic squash blossoms stuffed with cheese, so I know your more intricate stuffing must be wonderful. Your photo sure does make it look that way-yum...

[Shmii]

This looks delicious. Till date I haven't been able to find cougette flowers in stores but I've has them stuffed with goats cheese and onion marmalade and it was totally morish. As i suspect these were.
Ps: really enjoying reading your blog!

[Manggy]

Gosh, my mouth is watering for these. I can't wait to read more about your kitchen adventures! :)

[Cynthia]

Sorry, I got distracted by the fact that a year later your stuff is still in storage!

[dish filter]

I want to eat it very very much.It looks so tasty!Why can you cook it?

[Alex]

Beautiful. I want to get my courgettes planted so I can make these asap. Looks like I may have to wait a few months though looking out at the weather

[pity]

courgette flowers are my favorite thing in te world, I cant wait to cok them your way, well done! cheers from london

[tudor clothes]

Mouth watery! I'm a seafood lover and this will just sooth me. Nice post!

[Shari]

This looks beautiful! I love the way you put it all together.

[pigpigscorner]

Beautiful and love the stuffing!

[aruna]

wow it looks so great!

[Amy]

WOW, looks so good! I love its brown crisp color, makes me want to just pick it up from my computer screen! haha. good stuff

[Veggie Belly]

squash blossoms are a thing of beauty! yum!

[Nursing tank]

Crab and barramundi-stuffed zucchini blossoms
hmm taste so delicious!!!!

[Lauren]

I have never had zucchini blossoms. This look absolutely fantastic! I work with Better Recipes but to be really honest I have never heard of stuffed zucchini blossom. Like most women, I think it is important to have a arsenal of good Appetizer Recipes on reserve for those nights when your husband invites his boss or coworkers to dinner and only gives you a few hours of notice. I like to be prepared and I think I'll definitely have to try this one and throw it into the mix.