Stuffed zucchini flowers

Step 1

Holding a zucchini flower, use your thumbs to gently make a split in flower. Use your fingertips to snap off and discard yellow stamens in centre of flower. Repeat with remaining flowers.

Step 2

Finely chop olives, anchovies and basil. Place in a bowl with ricotta and season to taste with pepper. Spoon a teaspoonful of ricotta mixture into centre of each flower, then twist petal ends to enclose. For batter, place flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Add oil and beer then whisk until a smooth batter forms. In another bowl, whisk egg white until soft peaks form then gently fold into batter.

Step 3

Line a tray with paper towels. One-third fill a deep saucepan or deep-fryer with oil, then heat over medium heat until 180C, or a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds. Working in batches of 4, dip flowers, 1 at a time, into batter, allowing excess to drain off, then deep-fry for 2 minutes or until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to tray. Repeat with remaining flowers and batter. Scatter with salt and serve with lemon wedges.