Squash blossoms are always full of it — their delicate petals gently adhere to all sorts of stuffings, making them a perfect vehicle for light crabcake mixtures and creamy cheese blends.

These short-season blooms are too perishable for a shelf at the grocery store, so you’ll have to make your way to the weekend farmers’ market soon for a bag of fresh squash blossoms. Don’t delay: The squash blossom season is now!

Fortunately for executive chef Kelly Boyd of Rainbow Lodge, a quick trip across Ella Boulevard is all that’s needed for a basket of these freshly picked flowers. The restaurant’s edible gardens are in full bloom, so we recently stopped in at the Houston classic and asked Boyd to demonstrate stuffing squash blossoms.

INGREDIENTS

stuffing mixture:

  • 6 to 8 squash blossoms
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
  • 2.5 oz. white cheddar
  • 1 Tbsp. mustard
  • a few dashes of hot sauce
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 cup green onions
  • 1 lb. crab meat, picked over
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

tempura beer batter:

  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • Creole seasoning to taste (optional)
  • 1 1/2 cup Shiner Bock Beer, chilled

METHOD: Carefully rinse the squash blossoms and remove the stamens. Set aside.

Whisk the egg and then add the breadcrumbs, cheese, mustard, hot sauce, zest and juice of one lemon and green onions. Combine to make a creamy, slightly chunky paste. Add the heavy whipping cream to the crab and then slowly incorporate the egg mixture into the crab and cream mixture. Fill a piping bag with the paste.

Sprinkle the inside of the blossoms with a bit of flour. Pipe the crab mixture into the squash blossoms, being careful not to overfill them. (Overfilling may cause them to explode during the frying process.) Once filled, lightly coat the blossoms with flour.

Make the tempura batter by combining the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Whisk in chilled beer.

Carefully dip each squash blossom into the tempura batter and coat evenly. Fry the blossoms in 350-degree vegetable oil (a deep skillet or sauce pan filled with enough oil to completely cover the squash blossoms will do). Fry each battered blossom to a golden brown.