I couldn’t understand what had just happened. All I wanted to do was copy a few sentences and paste them into another document. Simple, right? But I was left staring at a blank screen in disbelief. My entire post for fried calamari was gone. Erased. Photos of squid now floating about somewhere in cyberspace. Don’t cry Lindsey, don’t cry. You can replace this. You have the original photos saved elsewhere. But it was SOOO frustrating! I’ve been blogging regularly for nine months now and have loved every second of it. But believe me when I say that it takes A LOT of seconds. 36,000 per week to be exact, as I spend ten hours weekly testing recipes, constructing posts and trying to meet my goal of publishing something new on Mondays and Thursdays. So I am sure you can understand how discouraging losing an entire post would be. This unfortunate incident occurred in February and I have been putting off recreating the fried calamari post for several months. But fried calamari is incredibly tasty and this recipe is as simple as can be. I couldn’t keep it from my foodie-friends any longer, nor could I deny my craving for these crispy, salty seafood bites. I’ve kicked the breading up a notch this time around, bringing more flavor to the table while still letting the squid shine through. Perhaps I was meant to erase my calamari post all along. These taste better than ever!
I know, I know. These aren’t the most appetizing pictures. And I sincerely apologize for the chipped nail polish. Cleaning the squid will only take a moment though, and it is well worth the time. I do the majority of my grocery shopping at the Fresh Market and they nearly always have calamari on their seafood counter. Sometimes they are already cleaned, the inside cartilage removed and the side fin cut off. If not, simply feel inside of the cavity, pulling out any extra tissue. Pull the side fin off of the outside and discard. Rinse the calamari and pat dry.
Once cleaned and dried, slice into half-inch thick rings. They are ready for the breading!
Forget about any sort of three-step breading process… all you need is seasoned flour in order to crisp and flavor the calamari. In a mixing bowl, combine the following: one heaping cup all-purpose flour, one quarter cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, one tsp dried oregano, one half tsp red pepper flakes, one and one half tsp garlic salt, one tsp kosher salt and one quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper. Mix until well blended. Add the calamari and toss until all sides are coated with the flour mixture.
If you don’t own a candy thermometer, an easy test is to drop small pieces of bread in the oil. If the bread drops down to the bottom of the pan, rising back up slowly, then the oil is too cold. If it doesn’t sink at all and immediately burns, then the oil is too hot. If the bread dips slightly and then rises up quickly, sizzling away, then you are ready to fry!
Using a handheld strainer, gently place the calamari into the oil, being careful to prevent any splashing. Working in batches, let the calamari fry for two minutes, giving them a gentle stir along the way.
Once they are cooked through, remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle immediately with kosher salt. You want to do this while the calamari are hot as they will better absorb the salt. For the next batch, you may need to adjust the heat slightly, increasing the flame as the initial addition of the calamari will have dropped the temperature and you want to be sure the oil is still hot enough to create a crispy crust.
Makes Two Hearty Appetizer Servings
- one half pound calamari, cleaned and rinsed, inner cartilage and side fins removed
- one heaping cup all-purpose flour
- one quarter cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
- one tsp dried oregano
- one half tsp red pepper flakes
- one and one half tsp garlic salt
- one tsp kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
- one quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper
- seven cups canola or vegetable oil
- two tbs fresh basil, chopped
