Shrimp, Flowering Chives and Rice Flour Fritters

When I saw a bunch of flowering chives at the store, it immediately drew my attention. Smelling the flowers, I was expecting, probably due to their lavender color, that they would have a sweet floral smell. However, to my surprise, they had fresh onion scent, similar to that of the chives. I later learned that the flowers are edible and can be used in the same way chives is used.

As I had shrimps and chives fritters in mind, it was an easy decision to add the flowers into the mix. In order not to mask the chives flavor and scent, I went ahead with adding minimal seasoning to the batter.
I decided to use rice flour in the batter, instead of white flour, so that the fritters will be lighter, and also to keep them gluten free, due to a special request.
The fritters came out light and tasty. A simple dipping sauce on the side, which also included chives flowers, added a nice finishing touch. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* If you can’t find flowering chives, increase the  amount of chives instead.
* White rice flour is available in most stores, or online. I found that the fritters absorbed very little oil while frying, so that’s another good reason to use it.
* Firm white fish, or crab meat, can be used instead of the shrimps.

Makes: 10
Prep time: 15 minutes
Frying time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
½ cup white rice flour
½ cup water
1 bunch flowering chives (see notes)
1 L egg
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground four peppers mix
13 oz (370 grams) devained peeled shrimps, fresh or frozen, thawed
Oil for frying
Lemon wedges for serving
For the dipping sauce:
3 Tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbs chopped chives flowers (see notes)

1. In a small bowl, mix the rice flour with the water and set aside. Place the shrimps in a food processor, fitted with the metal blade, and chop roughly.
2. Separate the chives blossoms from the stems. Set aside a few, for decoration, and roughly chop the rest. Separate the tender chives from the tougher inner stems, and discard them. Chop the chives roughly.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg with the salt and pepper. Add the rice flour mix, and whisk together, to a smooth batter. Add the chopped shrimps, chives and flowers, leaving 1 Tbs aside, for the dipping sauce, and mix well.


4. Heat oil for shallow frying in a medium pan, over medium-high heat.  Add heaped spoonfuls of the batter and flatten the tops lightly. Fry until golden on both sides and place over paper towels, to absorb extra oil. Serve warm, with lemon wedges on the side, and the dipping sauce.

5. The dipping sauce: mix the mayonnaise, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, ketchup, mustard, lemon juice and ½ Tbs chopped chives flowers. Mix well and place in a ramekin. Sprinkle the remaining ½ Tbs chopped flowers on top, and serve with the fritters.