Italian Fried Calamari

Italian Fried Calamari (aka calamad in our Italian home or calamari fritti) is one of our favorite family appetizers traditionally made every Christmas Eve as part of the 7 Fishes.


Fried calamari is in the squid family of seafood and can be found fresh or frozen.


As a little girl, I would watch my mom every year clean and cut up the squid for the holiday and usually prepare it stuffed simmered in tomato sauce which is another delicious recipe you may try called Stuffed Calamari.


Later on, in years we adapted the tradition by making this crunchy coating calamari which is fried, and we even made a sauteed in spicy butter version along with the stuffed calamari for the holiday.


Everyone loves this in our family dipped in a hot marinara sauce sprinkled with grated cheese and hot pepper flakes.


Fried calamari is a relatively recent addition to the American menu and only rose to prominence on American menus in the late 1970s.


For this delicious printable recipe scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Coating for the Calamari

Fried squid (fried calamari, calamari) is a dish in Mediterranean cuisine.


It has a seasoned floured coating. A deep-fried squid, fried for less than two minutes to prevent toughness.


It is served with marinara sauce, plain or with salt and lemon on the side, recipe below.


This coating is versatile for any kind of seafood you prepare.


The rings and tentacles can be purchased already cleaned frozen or fresh but frozen must be blotted dry


This recipe has a crispy floured coating that fries perfectly to a golden brown crunch and served with your favorite dipping sauce, preferably for us Marinara Sauce in the recipe card below.

Easy Ingredients for Homemade Fried Calamari

• flour
• cornstarch
• seasoning herbs and spices (see recipe card below for a complete list)
• oil for frying
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• dipping sauce or marinara tomato sauce

Other Seafood Suggestions

1. scallops
2. shrimp
3. cod or other white fish

More Seafood Recipes

Italian Christmas Eve Seafood Recipes

Best Fried Fish Recipe Coatings

Stuffed Flounder with Shrimp and Crab

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Calamari Tips

Our secret to not having soggy calamari is the addition of cornstarch in the recipe.


Soak the squid in milk for at least 2 hours, it takes the fishy taste away and also helps adhere to the coating.


Quick-cooking means tender squid, maintaining a steady temperature, and frying the squid for just a few minutes.

Print

Italian Fried Calamari

Yield: 8

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 27 Min

This appetizer is made with fresh octopus rings or tentacles and coated with a crispy fried seasoned flour. Delicious dipped in marinara sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 pound clean Squid/Calamari with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rings or strips, leave tentacles whole or cut in half. Be sure to blot dry.
• 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
• 1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
• milk for soaking the squid for 2 hours
• Optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large plastic bag or pie plate
• Vegetable or canola oil for frying
• Pecorino Romano Cheese for garnishing
• Dipping sauce suggestions: hot sauce, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or tomato marinara sauce
• 1 cup fresh marinara sauce recipe below.

Instructions

1. Soak squid in milk for 2 hours then drain.
2. Pour enough oil into a heavy large frying pan, or electric frypan or these can be oil sprayed and air fried to reach a depth of 3 inches.
3. Note: I don't recommend baking them ( calamari tends to get rubbery if overcooked.)
4. Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees
5. Mix the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bag or add to a pie plate.
6. Working in small batches, shake the squid into the flour mixture to coat.
7. Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch.
8. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
9. Place the fried calamari on paper towels to absorb oil.
10. Sprinkle with lots of grating cheese.
11. Serve with marinara sauce and fresh basil.
12. Marinara Sauce
13. 2 pounds of plum tomatoes cleaned and put in a food processor, leave a little chunky.
14. 2 minced fine cloves of garlic plus 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
15. salt and pepper to taste
16. 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, oregano, and parsley
17. 4 fresh basil leaves
18. Cook tomato down for around30 minutes with all herbs except fresh basil.
19. Add the basil to the bowl after the sauce has cooked.

Calories

275.94

Fat (grams)

8.53

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.94

Carbs (grams)

33.98

Fiber (grams)

2.51

Net carbs

31.47

Sugar (grams)

6.09

Protein (grams)

15.24

Sodium (milligrams)

551.90

Cholesterol (grams)

160.74

https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2009/12/one-of-my-favorite-appetizers-is.html

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fish recipes, seafood recipes, 7 fishes recipes, octopus recipes, fried seafood recipes

Italian

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Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2009. It was edited and re-published in 2020.