Tacos de Flor de Calabaza (Squash Blossom Tacos)

Last summer, I got to go to Cancún for a few days and it turned out to be quite the turbulent trip. Pro tip: Only drink bottled water there, your body will thank me later.

Here I am looking v cute by the beach.

We decided to stay closer to El Centro to have a more “authentic experience” and near our hotel was this cute little quesadilla stand that we frequented during our stay. They had a variety of fillings to choose from like; Chorizo, Chicharrón, and Chicken, but my favorite was the Squash Blossom!

I had been craving these for a while now, so when I stumbled upon these florecitas at the grocery store, I decided to make tacos out of them. They are really easy to make and don’t take much time to cook.

I’m #blessed to have a Mexican Supermarket within 2 miles of my apartment so the butcher and cheese counter is easily accessible to me. If you don’t have a Mexican Supermarket nearby, you can find prepackaged Mexican cheeses at most stores now. Be on the lookout for the Cacique brand.

Tacos de Flor de Calabaza

Makes 12

Blossoms:

12 Squash Blossoms

1/2 lb (or 6 oz) Panela

1/2 lb (or 6 oz) Oaxacan Cheese

 

Beer Batter:

1 1/4 Cup of Flour

1 tsp Salt

1 Beer (Any Light Pilsner beer)

 

Garnish:

Red or Green Salsa

Cilantro

Warm Corn Tortilla

Avocado (Optional)

Diced White Onion (Optional)

Thoroughly rinse your blossoms carefully. Once they’ve been rinsed, pat them dry with a paper towel and cut off the stems. You’ll want to slice both cheeses into pieces small enough to fit inside the blossom.

Whisk together 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1 tsp salt and beer in a bowl. The batter calls for a light pilsner type beer (like a Corona), but I ended up using a darker beer (Negra Modelo), and it added more depth in flavor which I enjoyed.

Heat 1/2 inch oil to 350°F in a heavy skillet. Carefully dip 4 blossoms into the batter at a time and place them in the skillet and fry them for about 2 minutes (or until golden brown) on each side. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil.