Ingredients
Calamari:
- 11 (5 to 6 inches long) calamari tubes, cleaned, divided
- 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
- 2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 bunch fresh oregano, leaves chopped
- 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
Sauce:
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large or 2 small onions, finely diced
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes
Directions
For the calamari: Roughly chop 3 of the calamari tubes and add to a food processor with the shrimp and garlic. Pulse into a coarse paste. Remove to a large bowl and add the spinach, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and stir to combine. The mixture should be a little chunky but moist and holding together. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini patty, cooking it in a small pan, and eating it. It should taste really good! If it doesn't, it is probably missing salt. Add more salt, as needed. Divide the stuffing among the remaining 8 calamari bodies and secure closed with toothpicks.
For the sauce: Coat a large, wide skillet or saucepan with olive oil and add the onions and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and put the skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until they are soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill or puree them in a food processor and add them with 1 cup of water to the skillet. Season with salt, to taste, and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
Add the calamari to the skillet and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the calamari from the skillet and remove the toothpicks. Reduce the sauce to thicken, if needed. Arrange the calamari on a serving platter and cover with the sauce before serving.
Photo: Braised Calamari Stuffed with Shrimp, Spinach, and Herbs Recipe
















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By Yankeefoodie
on June 26, 2012
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I have to agree with others, get the bigger tubes, if you go smaller it's one heck of a job trying to fill those buggers! Was a two person job here.
Not sure I would make this again, while it was tasty, seemed like it was a fair bit of work, costly and the results just didn't blow me off my feet and I love any sort of seafood.
One thing I was extremely happy about, the calamari was super tender.
By Elfi919
Charlotte, NC
on June 10, 2012
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This recipe is so easy and so delicious! My friends were impressed and I let them think it was much harder than it was. As someone said below, make sure you ask them for the biggest calamari tubes they have. I had leftover stuffing that I just made into patties and we ate them like crab cakes. That was delicious too.
By Phill_B
Oceanside, CA
on May 31, 2011
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I’m sure this recipe is great as-is, but I couldn’t help tweaking it right out of the gate. I used bay scallops instead of squid in the stuffing & added fine diced red bell pepper. I also added 3 large basil leaves, 1 tablespoon of oregano & fine diced red bell pepper to the sauce. The presentation is amazing – I’m fortunate to have 7-9” tubes readily available.
This one definitely makes the A-List for entertaining meals!
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