Calamari Fritti Food

CALAMARI

Steps:

• Preheat oil in a heavy, deep frying pan or pot. Oil should be heated to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• In a medium size mixing bowl mix together flour, salt, oregano and black pepper. Dredge squid through flour and spice mixture.
• Place squid in oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until light brown. Beware of overcooking, squid will be tough if overcooked. Dry squid on paper towels. Serve with wedges of lemon.

FRIED CALAMARI

Steps:

• Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches, toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
• Place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a clean plate. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with the marinara sauce.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

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 FRITTO

Steps:

• Combine the flour, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Dip the calamari strips in the milk.
• Dust the strips with the seasoned flour. (I put the calamari in a zip lock bag with the flour and gave them a good shake to coat.)
• Fill a heavy sauce pan with vegetable oil to about 4 inches up from the bottom. Heat the oil on the stove to 350 degrees, keeping a thermometer in the oil to prevent overheating. (A deep fat fryer is easier.).
• Fry the calamari 2-3 minutes. Don't overcook or you'll have chewy and tough calamari.
• Drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and serve immediately.

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.

CRISPY FRIED CALAMARI & AïOLI

Steps:

• Cut the tentacles off the squid and put in a bowl. Slice the squid tubes into roughly 1cm thick rings and add to the bowl. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over a low heat, ensuring it is no more than two-thirds full.
• For the aïoli, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, saffron and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Toss the squid with the flour, cornflour, baking powder, cayenne and ½ tsp salt. When the oil has reached 170C on a thermometer, or when a cube of bread is dropped in and turns golden brown in 30 seconds, deep-fry the squid in batches for 2 mins, or until lightly golden and crisp. Set aside on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Serve the fried squid with the aïoli on the side for dipping.

FRIED CALAMARI (CALAMARI FRITTI)

Steps:

• Season to taste with salt and serve immediately with lemon wedges. Enjoy.

DEEP FRIED CALAMARI WITH GARLIC AND LEMON MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• For the mayonnaise, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
• For the calamari, place enough oil in a wok, large saucepan or deep-fat fryer to come halfway up the pan. Place over a medium heat. If you're using a deep-fat fryer or have a thermometer, heat the oil to 180C/350F. If not, to check the oil is at the right temperature, drop a 2-3cm/¾-1¼in cube of bread into the hot oil. It should become golden and crispy in 1 minute.
• While the oil is heating, place the flour, cayenne, paprika and salt in a large sandwich bag. Drop in the squid and shake around to coat evenly. This may need to be done in two batches, depending on the size of the bag.
• Dip the floured squid into the beaten egg and then carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove from the oil and briefly drain on kitchen paper before serving with the garlic and lemon mayonnaise.