Let me start by saying a big thank you for visiting my blog. Let me share with you my spicy calamari recipe. This is a sure keeper. It is tasty with a hint of spice (it really depends on how spicy you want it to be). It has a nice crisp breading and the squid was tender. This is how I like my calamari to be. I think that it is worthy of your attention.
I have been doing fried calamari like this for some time now. This method is ideal because it only needs a few ingredients, which are not hard to find.
It is best to use fresh squid to make spicy calamari. The squid needs to be washed in running water and the outer layer needs to be peeled. This is the thin layer that gives the squid its color. I also get rid of all the stuff inside the squid. A regular spoon should do the trick to clean the cavity. Remove the head from the squid and then insert a spoon into the cavity. Gently scrape out all the stuff in there and wash the squid with water. That’s it! The squid can now be sliced into rings.
There is also another option that can save you time in cleaning and cutting the squid. Frozen squid rings are available in most supermarkets. These can be found in the packaged frozen seafood section. Wash the squid rings and pat them dry with paper towel before cooking.
A few techniques and pointers are necessary to achieve best results when cooking the squid. The first thing to consider is the amount of oil. The squid rings need to float freely in oil while being fried. A few cups of oil are necessary. Peanut or canola oils are the two types of oils that I use depending on the availability. I also fry the calamari by batches. This will give enough room for the squid to cook around the fryer and it also helps keep the temperature of the oil under control. Frying more than enough spicy calamari at the same time will make the temperature of the oil drop quickly. This can have an effect on the total cooking time and quality of the calamari.
We had this last night as an appetizer before dinner. My entire family loved it. This is my son’s favorite and he had almost half of the entire serving. I had two dips available for the spicy calamari: cocktail sauce and a ranch dip. It went well with either dips and everyone was pleased.
Spicy Calamari
Ingredients
- 1 lb. squid cleaned and sliced into rings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups oil canola or peanut
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan until the temperature reaches 315F to 320F.
- Combine flour, cayenne pepper powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until all the ingredients come together.
- Pat the squid dry using a paper towel.
- Dredge the squid in the flour mixture. Shake the excess flour off the squid. Gently put the squid rings in the saucepan one-by-one.
- Cook the squid for 2 minutes or until the breading starts to crisp. Be sure to leave extra space in between the squid rings. Cook the remaining squid in separate batches.
- Remove the fried calamari from the pan. Lay a piece of paper towel on a wide dish and then put the calamari on top.
- Serve with cocktail sauce.
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