One of the most ubiquitous of appetizers, fried calamari can be found on most of America’s restaurant menus and, as one would expect, recipes abound for creating the dish. Some of these recipes marinate the squid first, while others only flour them before frying. Still others rely on a batter to coat the squid, and those batters may use any one of a number of liquids, from water to milk to beer. Absent a family recipe, what’s a blogger to do?
Well, this blogger ran some tests. Armed with frozen squid, vegetable oil, and a dream, I set out to learn which recipe resulted in the best fried calamari. I took 2 calamari and did nothing but flour them before frying. Six other calamari were given a buttermilk soak for over an hour. Of those, 2 were floured and fried, 2 were dipped in a beer batter before frying, and the last 2 were coated with a water-based batter before frying. My objective was to determine which frying method was the best, so, I only used salt & pepper for seasoning. I didn’t want the results clouded by too many variables.
So, then, how did they do? Well, all 4 preparations fried easily and the results were crisp, although some more so than others. Perhaps my least favorite was the beer batter-fried (lower – left). Although I’d like to try that batter again with chicken, shrimp, or onion rings, it was just too thick for the 
calamari. These tentacles were the worst of the bunch, a sorry mass of fried batter. Next would have to be the calamari that were fried after only being dipped in flour (l – r). Although they were crispy and the tentacles were the best of all four, they were the least flavorful. As is the case with chicken, soaking the squid in buttermilk made a difference. Next were the calamari that were dipped in a water-based batter (top – left). They were good but not good enough to overtake my favorite, the calamari that were soaked in buttermilk before being floured and fried (t-r). They benefited from the buttermilk and got extra points for ease of preparation and of frying — there was no messy batter to deal with. This, then, is the recipe I’ll be sharing today.
* * *
The Winner!
* * *
Fried Calamari Recipe
yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb. squid (about 16 medium-sized), cleaned & cut into 1/2 inch rings
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper – more or less to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- Oil for frying — NOT olive oil
Directions
- Place buttermilk, calamari rings, and tentacles into a bowl and set aside for one hour. If longer, refrigerate until you’re ready.
- Heat oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven over med-high heat.
- Place dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Line a sheet pan with paper towels and pre-heat oven to 200*.
- When oil reaches 380*, remove some pieces of calamari from the buttermilk and allow excess liquid to run off before dredging them in the flour mixture. Place pieces, one at a time, into the hot oil. Work in batches. Do not overcrowd.
- Remove calamari when golden brown, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, and place on paper-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and place in warmed oven.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all calamari are fried.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce.
Variations
The ingredient amounts listed-above are not set in stone. They are what I use and, as you can see, they bring a little heat to the dish. You can just as easily use more of one spice and less of another or, for that matter, skip one altogether in favor of some other. The point is no matter what spices you use, be sure to soak the calamari in buttermilk for optimum flavor. Do that and you won’t be disappointed.
What if, after all of this, you decide you’d rather not fry your calamari? You can always try my Mom’s Calamari Salad recipe. Follow her directions and you’ll be rewarded with calamari rings that are tender but never rubbery and a salad that looks as fresh as it tastes.
Note
When I ran these tests, I put some thought into the testing but completely forgot about serving the calamari. I was mid-way through the frying when I realized I didn’t have any sauce for an accompaniment. I made a quick dipping sauce using 2 parts mayo, 1 part sour cream, the juice of a half-lemon, 1 grated garlic clove, and a little salt & pepper. It worked just fine although, if you have a low tolerance for garlic, you may wish to use 1/2 clove or none at all.
* * *
I make stuffed calamari each Christmas Eve, and love fried calamari but have never made it at home. Sounds great.
You’ll be surprised at how easy this dish is to prepare and how tasty the results are. My family, also, has a recipe for stuffed calamari that are baked on a baking sheet and I’m currently toying with a recipe for stuffed calamari that are braised in a tomato sauce. Zia has mentioned yet another recipe for a tomato sauce with calamari that’s served over pasta. It looks like there will be more than a few calamari dinners in our future as we try to perfect these recipes before posting here.
My very good friend stuffs her calamari bodies with a bread mixture, closes with a tooth pick, then slow cooks in a tomato sauce base for a few hours. The trick, only use a baby spoon of stuffing of they will EXPLODE! Experience speaks.
Yes, we serve stuffed calamari 2 ways, 1 with sauce and another without. And you’re right. You do not want to overstuff them! Thank you for dropping by and commenting.
I love fried calamari but have never made it at home. For all the reasons why I guess you tested so many recipes!! It’s my first choice for ordering an appetizer and I even rank my favorites by restaurant!! This is a terrific post having all your testing results in one!
You surprise me, Linda. As accomplished as you are in the kitchen, I would have thought you’d be frying up calamari like most people pop popcorn. Well, regardless, once you try it and discover how easy it is you’ll be making ‘em regularly — and, like me, wondering why you waited so long to try.
Pingback: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Calamari Pomodoro « Savoring Every Bite
I love fried calamari but only eat it on special occasions. I too have never tried making it at home, glad Linda mentioned you on her post. Now, I’ll have to make this for Christmas eve and surprise my dad! Thanks for sharing!
You are going to be surprised at how quick and easy it is to do. It certainly was an eye-opener for me and, to be honest, I’ve not ordered it since at a restaurant. I’m sure your Dad will love it! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck!
thank you for the test results and the great recipe, yep I will be trying it this CHRISTmas Eve…can you make this in a electric deep fryer or do you suggest a pan…
I’ve fried it in both , an electric “kettle” as well as a pot on the stove. Just don’t fill either more than half-way or you’ll risk the oil bubbling over. I think you’ll find that this is super easy to do and, if you’re like me, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start making it sooner. Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment.
John I made you recipe and I had both a deep fryer and a electric fry pan going…the calamari in the deep fryer came out better because it browned so fast it did not have a chance to get tough, the ones in the fry pan seemed tougher, but the buttermilk did make a difference, it was really good! I served it with the sliced banana peppers like I have had it in fancy restaurants…
Merry Christmas to you and yours….
Thank you so much for coming back to tell me of your discovery. There’s nothing like a side-by-side comparison to discover the best way to prepare something and you’ve proved that a deep fryer is the way to go. Glad you liked the buttermilk soak. I, too, like what it brings to the dish. And it sounds like your presentation was great, too! I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas!
Pingback: Mom’s Calamari Salad (Insalata dei Calamari) | from the Bartolini kitchens
I saw some phenomenal looking squid at the store in Queens yesterday. Now I really wish I had bought them! Shame on me.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas John! Eat, drink, and do it all over again.
You have better will power than I. If I see ‘em, I buy ‘em and worry about the cooking later. Have a very Merry Christmas, Jed, to you & yours.
Sounds delicious to the tenth power. *And* what a beautiful linen it’s displayed upon! That shot just plain is perfect wall art! Though I’d probably have to resist hanging such a gorgeous thing up, because it would require my making calamari like this at least every other day, and I doubt I have the stamina.
Thanks, Kathryn. I was surprised how quick and easy it was to make fried calamari. I do it quite often now and haven’t bought it at a restaurant since. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.
I TOTALLY ADORE CALAMARI WITH VARIOUS DIPS, MY FAVORITE WAY OF COOKING THEM IS TO DEEP FRY FOR 1.1/2 TO 2 MINS COATED IN A HERB SEASONED PANKO BREADCRUMBS OR IN A HERB “TEMPURA ” BATTER GOES WONDERFUL WITH EITHER A CHINESE DIPPING SAUCE OR A BLUE CHEESE DIP JUST NEVER EVER OVER COOK THEM !!!
That sounds delicious! I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for stopping by.
I love calamari but have never made it at home..it looks so easy!
It is easy, Christina, and I was surprised to find out, too. And you just cannot beat serving them fresh from your kitchen! As I replied to another commenter, I only make them myself now and haven’t ordered some from a restaurant in ages. Give them a try and you’ll see what I mean.
Mmmm, going through your archives getting some ideas for dinner this weekend for my son’s birthday. This sounds like the perfect appetizer!
These are good, Lisa, and far easier than I had imagined. The buttermilk soak really does work and it is up to you whether to use plain of seasoned flour for the coating. Good luck!