Best Calamari Fritti Recipes

CALAMARI FRITTI

Steps:

• Rinse the squid under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the body of the squid into 1/2-inch rings and trim the tentacles as necessary. Combine the milk, egg, and basil leaves in a bowl; mix with a fork until lightly beaten. Put the prepared calamari in the milk mixture and stick it in the refrigerator while getting everything else set up; it fries better if marinated and chilled for about 15 minutes.
• Pour about 2 inches of oil in a fryer or large, heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F. Mix the flour and paprika in a pie dish or plate; season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Toss the calamari in the seasoned flour to coat. Fry for 1 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and salt, to taste. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to paper towels to drain. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and dipping sauces.
• Smoked Jalapeno Aioli:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 to 2 canned chipotle chile in adobo
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Pinch salt
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 1 minute to combine. Set aside to allow the flavors to marry. Serve as a dipping sauce with fried calamari.
• Yield: 1 cup
• Tomato-Basil Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 fresh basil leaves, hand-torn
• 1 (16-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• Pinch sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Coat a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the oil and warm over medium heat. Add the garlic and basil; cook, stirring, until soft. Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining olive oil. Serve as a dipping sauce with fried calamari.
• Yield: 2 cups

CALAMARI FRITTI WITH CREAMY PONZU DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to reach depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 375°F. Whisk mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients in small bowl for dipping sauce. Chill.
• Sprinkle calamari with salt and pepper. Place flour in medium bowl. Working in batches, toss calamari rings and tentacles in flour to coat, then fry in oil until golden and crisp, turning occasionally, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer calamari to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt; serve immediately with dipping sauce.

CALAMARI FRITTI

Steps:

• Combine flour, egg, beer, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt and pepper.
• Dip 4 to 5 squid rings into batter to coat.
• Deep fry in hot oil (about 350 degrees F on a candy/fryer thermometer) until tender and golden brown, generally no more than 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Don't overcrowd or they will take longer to brown and squid will become tough.
• Remove squid with slotted spoon on drain on paper towel.
• Serve with a dipping sauce if you like, or drench in freshly squeezed lemon!

CALAMARI FRITTI WITH GARLIC MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• 1 TO MAKE THE MAYONNAISE: Follow recipe instructions. (The mayonnaise can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.) 2 TO MAKE THE CALAMARI: Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, salt, and pepper together. Place the semolina in a shallow bowl. A few at a time, coat the squid pieces with the egg, then roll in the semolina, shaking off the excess. Place on the waxed paper. 3 Preheat the oven to 200°F. Place a large wire cake rack over a jelly roll pan. Pour oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches into a deep Dutch oven. Over high heat, heat it to 365°F. In batches, without crowding, deep-fry the squid just until golden and crisp, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a wire-mesh skimmer, transfer the squid to the wire racks and keep warm in the oven while deep-frying the rest. Don't hold the calamari in the oven for more than 5 minutes, or they may get soggy. Serve immediately, with the garlic mayonnaise for dipping. NOTE: this recipe uses raw egg, which has been known to carry salmonella bacteria. You may use 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute.

CALAMARI FRITTI

Steps:

• RINSE SQUID WITH WATER AND PAT DRY WITH PAPER TOWELS. COMBINE MILK, EGG, AND BASIL LEAVES IN A BOWL AND MIX WITH FORK. ADD PREPARED CALAMARI AND CHILL FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES. HEAT OIL TO 375. MIX FLOUR WITH PAPRIKA AND SALT AND PEPPER. PUT MIXTURE IN A PIE PLATE AND TOSS CALAMARI IN FLOUR MIXTURE TO COAT. FRY 1-3 MINUTES OR UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN. DRAIN ON PAPER TOWEL AND SERVE WITH LEMON OR AIOLI, TARTAR SAUCE...