Fried Calamari
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 1200
- Total Fat
- 88
- Saturated Fat
- 9
- Carbohydrates
- 70
- Dietary Fiber
- 6
- Sugar
- 11
- Protein
- 35
- Cholesterol
- 398
- Sodium
- 1312
- Total: 4 hr 40 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Inactive: 4 hr
- Cook: 10 min
Ingredients
1 pound fresh calamari
2 cups milk
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon garlic hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
2 cups flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Puttanesca Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Lemon wedges, for serving
Puttanesca Dipping Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1/4 cup pitted, diced black olives
1 tablespoon capers
3 tomatoes, diced
A pinch chile flakes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Clean the calamari and cut the bodies into thick rings, reserving the tentacles separately.
- Mix the milk and lemon juice in a large bowl. Let rest for 5 minutes until it thickens. Add the garlic hot sauce. Add the calamari and soak in the buttermilk for up to 4 hours.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, paprika and cayenne. Beat the eggs in another bowl.
- Remove the calamari from the buttermilk and drain. Dip into the beaten egg, and then the flour mixture.
- Fill a heavy skillet with 2 cups vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat to 360 degrees F, or set a deep fryer to 360 degrees F. Fry the calamari, in batches, until brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Place on a plate and pat dry any excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with the Puttanesca Dipping Sauce and lemon wedges.
Puttanesca Dipping Sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, anchovies, olives, capers and tomatoes. Saute for another 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and chile flakes. (Add a little water if it's too thick.) Stir in the parsley and lemon zest.