Fried Calamari with Spicy Aioli and Watercress Salad
Speed - 96%
Simplicity - 98%
Tastiness - 100%
98%
Delicious!
Best ever Fried Calamari, the Spicy Aioli was perfect and Watercress Salad a light pairing the cut the heavy fried factor. A definite one for trying again!
Ingredients
Fried Calamari
- 1 pound Cleaned Calamari
- 1.5 cups Buttermilk
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 0.5 cups Cornmeal
- 1.5 tablespoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- Canola Oil
Spicy Aioli
- 0.75 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
Watercress Salad
- 1 bunch Watercress
- 1/2 Lemon
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Fried Calamari
- Cut the legs off, and chop half of the calamari into ½” rings, half into triangle shapes--scoring these with a crosshatch.
- Soak in buttermilk for 10 minutes, up to 8 hours.
- Meanwhile, heat canola oil to 400 degrees F.
- Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, and paprika.
- Drain calamari and toss in flour mixture.
- Fry in hot oil in small batches to avoid crowding the pan.
- Pull once golden and crispy, a minute or so, and transfer to a baking sheet.
- Season with sea salt and place in low oven to keep warm.
- Continue frying calamari in batches.
Spicy Aioli
- Blend mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside.
Watercress Salad
- Wash watercress well; squeeze lemon over and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve calamari with spicy aioli, the watercress salad alongside.
- Cut lemon wedges to garnish and serve.
One of my favorite food memories growing up was eating with my Italian grandmother in her home along the coast. For a midday snack, she would quickly batter and fry delicate rings of fresh calamari and us children would eat them piping hot, sometimes straight from the bowl in which she was cooling them.
The smell of anything frying is enough to conjure so many people's favorite comfort food memories, and here I pay homage to the delicious dish of fried calamari and aioli my grandmother taught me to appreciate.
Calamari is often maligned for being too tough or rubbery when it's been cooked. This recipe uses the trick of soaking it in buttermilk, which helps the calamari remain soft once it's been fried.
Of course, the other trick to preventing the flesh from becoming too rubbery is to not overcook it in the frying process. If you can't find fresh squid where you live (make sure it's sold as ‘cleaned' or it will be a much longer process!), source the best frozen you can and place it in the refrigerator to thaw the night before.
To prepare them cut the legs off, and chop about half of the bodies into rings roughly 1/2″ thick, and the rest into triangle shapes, which you then score with a crosshatch pattern. in buttermilk for 10 minutes, up to 8 hours.
Meanwhile, heat about two inches of canola oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat to 400 degrees F. At the same time, preheat your oven to 200 F or its lowest setting.
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, and paprika in a large bowl till well-mixed and flour is clump-free and aerated. Drain calamari from the buttermilk well, so there is not excess buttermilk which will cause clumping. Toss the pieces in the flour mixture, then using a wire mesh strainer sift off the excess flour.
Gently submerge the squid in hot oil in small batches, just enough to fill the surface of the oil without the pieces touching each other. You want to avoid crowding the pan so that they all fry up golden and crispy; otherwise, the squid will lower the oil's heat too much and you'll end up with a soggy mess!
Pull the squid out once they are golden and crispy, after only about a minute or so– remember to not overcook them at this stage or they'll become rubbery as well! Carefully transfer to a baking sheet. Season with sea salt and place in the low oven to keep warm. Continue frying calamari in batches, being sure to maintain the fry oil temperature depending on your stove's particular heat settings.
Blend mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl, adding more of whatever ingredient you most like to taste! Set aside. Wash watercress in cold water and drain well; squeeze lemon over and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve calamari piled high on plates with the spicy aioli and watercress salad alongside. Cut lemon wedges for garnish and enjoy!
Ingredients
Fried Calamari
- 1 pound Cleaned Calamari
- 1.5 cups Buttermilk
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 0.5 cups Cornmeal
- 1.5 tablespoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- Canola Oil
Spicy Aioli
- 0.75 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
Watercress Salad
- 1 bunch Watercress
- 1/2 Lemon
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Fried Calamari
- Cut the legs off, and chop half of the calamari into ½” rings, half into triangle shapes--scoring these with a crosshatch.
- Soak in buttermilk for 10 minutes, up to 8 hours.
- Meanwhile, heat canola oil to 400 degrees F.
- Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, and paprika.
- Drain calamari and toss in flour mixture.
- Fry in hot oil in small batches to avoid crowding the pan.
- Pull once golden and crispy, a minute or so, and transfer to a baking sheet.
- Season with sea salt and place in low oven to keep warm.
- Continue frying calamari in batches.
Spicy Aioli
- Blend mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside.
Watercress Salad
- Wash watercress well; squeeze lemon over and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve calamari with spicy aioli, the watercress salad alongside.
- Cut lemon wedges to garnish and serve.
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