Calamari Fritti

Tyler Florence

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Food 911Episode: Parent Trap

Rated 5 stars out of 5
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Read 29 Reviews
Total Time:
38 min
Prep
20 min
Inactive
15 min
Cook
3 min
Yield:
4 to 6 servings
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound whole squid, cleaned
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
  • Smoked jalapeno aioli, for dipping, recipe follows
  • Tomato-basil sauce, for dipping, recipe follows

Directions

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

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 29 reviews

  • on April 08, 2011

    Flag

    Awesome! These were easy. I cheated and used the frozen rings, my family loved them. The only tweaks to the recipe was I used parsley in the milk/egg mixture and added garlic powder to the flour. Will make this again.

    people found this review Helpful.
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  • on February 06, 2011

    Flag

    W-O-W! Best calamari recipe. SO easy. Just picked up frozen calamari at my local seafood place ($4.00 a pound and whipped up this little number. It is a crowd pleaser and people seem to believe that I'm a skilled chef now.

    people found this review Helpful.
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  • on March 06, 2009

    Flag

    We really liked this recipe!! We served the calamari with lemon juice.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
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