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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Fried Calamari

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Fried Calamari

The other day when I was at the fishmongers I noticed that they had some calamari or squid. I had been wanting to try calamari for a while so I picked some up immediately. As luck would have it the calamari was already cleaned up, so there was less work for me. Whenever I have seen calamari it had always been served fried so I decided to go with fried calamari for the first time. I kept it simple and dredged the calamari in a simple mixture of flour, salt and pepper. Making the fried calamari was as easy as making french fries. The calamari was nice and crispy on the outside and warm and moist and slightly chewy on the inside. I quite enjoyed the texture and chewiness of the calamari. I served the fried calamari with some tartar sauce and some slices of lemon. I wonder what other things I can use calamari in?

Fried Calamari

Fried Calamari

Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:10 minutes Total Time:20 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound calamari (cleaned and cut into rings)
  • oil for frying
directions
  1. Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl.
  2. Dredge the calamari in the flour.
  3. Fry the calamari in the preheated 357F oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jan says

    July 21, 2008 at 11:00 pm

    I love calamari, but I confess I have never made any myself. I recently had some at a local restaurant and they served it fried with a Chinese style black bean dipping sauce, it was excellent. Yours looks super, too.

    Reply

  3. HoneyB says

    July 21, 2008 at 11:54 pm

    I have never had calamari. I don’t know if I could eat it unless someone told me it was something else…just a head thing, ya know? In any case, it look edible! LOL. Who knows, maybe you could get me to eat it!

    Reply

  7. OhioMom says

    July 22, 2008 at 12:31 am

    Looks really yummy! I bought a seafood medley at my grocer that had calamari, octopus, crab, pollock and mussels.

    I made a simple sauce of butter, garlic, herbs and sourcream, added the seafood medley … and served over pasta. Just another idea for calamari 🙂

    Reply

  8. Lulu Barbarian says

    July 22, 2008 at 12:33 am

    Yay, Kevin’s joined the calamari club! It looks like you did a great job with it! I’ve got a recipe for squid cooked in wine, if you’re interested. (Linked in my name.)

    Reply

  9. Esi says

    July 22, 2008 at 12:41 am

    That looks good. I want to try making calamari at home, but have no idea how to cut it up (I think dissecting one in highschool has scarred me). Luckily, you were able to find it mostly prepared.

    Reply

  10. _ts of [eatingclub] vancouver says

    July 22, 2008 at 12:44 am

    For this specific preparation, you can make a fried calamari po’ boy! =)

    Other calamari usages:
    grilled – mediterranean-style with olive oil and lemon juice
    grilled – asian-style, like those served in Japanese restaurants

    You can also braise it in a tomato-based sauce.

    Or, another Chinese dish is “salty peppery” fried squid (that’s what it’s usually translated as). Usually, the squid are cut differently; that is, they’re not in rings. They’re fried then garnished/sprinkled with chile peppers and garlic.

    Reply

  13. Dragon says

    July 22, 2008 at 1:28 am

    I love calamari. Yours looks great. I tried to prepare calamari once. I was cleaning the squid and couldn’t finish. I kept gagging. I’m such a wuss. 🙂

    Reply

  16. cakebrain says

    July 22, 2008 at 3:33 am

    you don't have to go out to eat anymore kevin…you can do it all at home! fresh calamari is so good! i like it with tzatziki sauce myself! or sometimes the chinese way–deepfried with fresh sliced chili, garlic & szechuan peppercorns…

    Reply

  22. redforever says

    July 22, 2008 at 4:46 am

    There is a lovely little Italian restaurant near me and whenever I go there, I absolutely must have 2 items on their menu. One is their
    zuppetta di pesce, mussels, shrimp & scallop steamed in a spicy tomato garlic cream broth.

    The other is an appetizer, calamari sauteed with bell peppers, hot banana peppers, onions and lemon and served with zesty tomato sauce on the side. You might want to think of something like this for calamari Kevin, since you do like hot peppers!!!

    Reply

  30. Zita says

    July 22, 2008 at 9:06 am

    look very crisp!!! great… u can use it also for paella, or japanese friters “tempura” or just saute with butter and garlic…yum…yum…endless posiblities 🙂

    Reply

  32. Greg says

    July 22, 2008 at 11:13 am

    Hmmm, I haven’t tried fried calamari at home before. I like it with a light bread crumb crust – panko crumbs would be great. I just had some fantastic calamari in an Italian restaurant in Providence last week. It was served with a marinara and sliced pepperoncinis. To die for. You should google Calamari Pizza.

    Reply

  34. Olga Berman says

    July 22, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    This is one of my favorite foods as an appetizer. I just had it at Zaytinya in DC on Saturday: but I’ve never made them myself. They’d also be good with a spicy mayo concoction

    Reply

  36. Emily says

    July 22, 2008 at 2:13 pm

    That looks delicious! I’ve never attempted calamari but you’ve inspired me to give it a try. My favorite restaurant version tosses the fried calamari with pepperoncini rings and some balsamic vinegar – tangy and spicy!

    Thanks for sharing your cooking adventures!

    Reply

  37. Robin Sue says

    July 22, 2008 at 2:15 pm

    Clamari is also nice stuffed and cooked in red sauce (pasta sauce). I love it fried the best though. I always order it out at Maggianno’s for my birthday. Yours looks really great.

    Reply

  39. Michele says

    July 22, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    I love that you don’t really use batter; battered squid is one of my biggest peeves.

    This weekend I had an amazing squid/pasta dish at a restaurant, which I blogged about here: http://finefuriouslife.com/2008/07/19/fregola-freak/

    I have no recipe, but it’s basically a Sardinian pasta called fregola + all the ingredients in caponata except the eggplant + calamari rings. SO delicious, I recommend it.

    Reply

  43. amandalouden says

    July 22, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Looks fabulous! I love calamari. Its one of those dishes like fish and chips that I love-love but typically don’t eat anymore. Oh the good old days when I used to be able to enjoy greasy food. 🙂

    Reply

  48. We Are Never Full says

    July 22, 2008 at 7:43 pm

    if it’s already cleaned, there’s absolutely no reason to not make it – it’s extremely versatile. Fish stew, rice or sausage-stuffed calamari, frito misto di mare, grilled calamari (my favorite way to eat it) with a spicy or citrus sauce, fried calamari sandwich (spanish treat), ceviche…

    the possibilities are endless!

    Reply

  50. Katie says

    July 22, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    My first taste of calamari was at an Italian restaurant when I was little. A friend of my parents said “I’ll tell you what it is after you taste it.” I liked it so much that I didn’t care that I was eating squid!

    Reply

  51. DocChuck says

    July 22, 2008 at 8:53 pm

    Having been born and raised in Texas, calamari was not something that was ever on our menu.

    However, I have tried it in recent years and really like it when it is fried (such as you prepared it).

    I still don’t think I am ready to eat squid when I can see the thing in its regular form, however. LOL

    Reply

  53. Natasha says

    July 22, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    I love love love calamari. The key with calamari is not to overcook them, as they’ll become too chewy. You can stuff them as well if you find some whole ones. You can also use them grilled in salads. Cleaning them is fairly easy, nothing to worry about.

    Reply

  54. Sylvia says

    July 22, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    I love calamari, specially fried. But i agree with who said that calamari don´t be chewy. The key is not overcook. To be your first time looks so well

    Reply

  60. ChichaJo says

    July 23, 2008 at 4:19 am

    When we made that paella was my first time to clean calamari/squid! 🙂 I have to try this soon…yours looks perfect! Although fried calamari is also popular here, another common way of eating it over here is grilled (stuffed with a mixture of chopped tomatoes and onions) and served with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and calamansi (our local lemon/lime) 🙂 We also use squid in adobo 🙂

    Reply

  61. diva says

    July 23, 2008 at 4:52 am

    love calamari! always. calamari bap, kevin. fried calamari, tartar sauce, lemon juice, bit of ketchup if u fancy it in a lovely fresh bap! mmmm.

    Reply

  63. Jeanne says

    July 25, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    One of my exs’ moms used to soak her calamari tubes in crushed tinner pineapple overnight to tenderise – and damn, she used to make tender fried calamari! Don’t miss him, but I do miss her calamari!

    You can also try making a calamari risotto – which reminds me, I made one and never posted it! Gotta try and dig it out…

    Reply

  66. guam girl says

    April 20, 2011 at 7:09 am

    fried calamari also taste good as well wit marinera sauce wit tabassco and squeezed lemon thats also a good dipping sauce

    Reply

  67. Anonymous says

    June 21, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    Hi Kevin,
    Love your site and all your recipes I have tried are delicious!
    I cook calamari often and basically the same way but add lemon zest to the flour mixture as well as some breadcrumbs for extra crispiness. Serve with freshly squeezed lemon on them and tzatziki sauce on the side. Our favorite Greek restaurant serves it with chopped red onion on top.
    Thank you for all your great recipes.
    Maggie

    Reply

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