Fried Calamari

squid

Tender Squid

Crispy crunchy fried calamari served with a marinara sauce can be found in almost any Italian restaurant in the throughout the world. Though it can seem to be a little intimidating, it’s very easy to make at home.

Cleaning the calamari can take a little getting used too. In some stores you can find it cleaned and ready for cooking or even frozen or pre-breaded which I don’t recommend. Fresh is always best. Just make sure you don’t overcook the calamari or it will get tough and chewy. Your aiming for tender and crisp.

I enjoy fried calamari with spicy marinara sauce but there are numerous sauces you can serve. Try it with a tarter sauce, honey mustard sauce or cocktail sauce. Make sure you save the tentacles for me.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds of squid, cleaned and cut into rings.

1 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour.

1 tsp of dried oregano

1 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

PREPARATION

Clean the squid by holding the body with one hand carefully pull out the tentacles with the other. Remove the quill like bone from the inside of the body. Peel the skin off the body. Cut the head away from the tentacles then remove the mouth from the base of the tentacles.

Rinse the body and tentacles well under cold water.

Cut the body into 1/2 inch rings.

Pat dry.

In a medium size pot heat the oil to 375 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, mix the flour, oregano and paprika together.

Dredge the calamari in the flour and deep fry in small batches for a bout 1 minute.

Drain the calamari on a paper towel.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with marinara sauce.

Serves 4 people

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