Fried calamari (fried squid)

Calamari is basically squid tubes which are seasoned and fried or baked until crispy. Squid tubes are long and smooth with a narrow ending. That’s the difference between squid and octopus. I chose to fry my calamari and it was so incredible! Calamari is the perfect appetizer for any special occassion. You can serve it with either hot sauce or barbecue sauce. Ranch could also be very nice or something with garlic. Either way it is very delicious with a dipping sauce of your choice.

I refrigerated the seasoned calamari before doing the dipping. This adds way more flavor than frying it right away, trust me. Flour is perfect for this but I highly recommend using corn starch for the dipping instead of combining flour and cornstarch. The next best option is potato starch. The cornstarch is combined with lots of seasonings to make a tasty appetizer. Firstly, you dip it in egg wash, then the seasoned cornstarch. You need some really hot oil and a good frying pan to pull this recipe through. It is best to leave the calamari untouched for a while on the stove for it to get very crispy. You just flip it once and then leave it untouched until it is browned again.

If you love squid, check out my airfryer octopus which is seasoned with kebab. Serve this alone or with fried rice.

Fried calamari

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Servings: 6 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 2 Hours 2 Hours

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

Squid

4 squid tubes, sliced 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

2 cups canola oil

 

Coating

1 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground garlic

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 whisked large egg + 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil to 350°F/175°C in a skillet. 
2. Season the squid ingredients together.
3. Make two extra bowls. One for the cornstarch, another for the egg wash. 
4. Dip the seasoned squid into the egg wash bowl followed by the cornstarch. Shake off the excess cornstarch.
5. Deep fry for about 15 minutes on both sides until crispy. Fry in batches for best results.
6. Let the fried ones cool on a wire rack.
7. Repeat steps 5&6 for the remaining unfried squid. 
8. Serve hot with lemon wedges.