Fried Calamari

By Author: M B John
Total Articles: 51
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Start by cleaning the Calamari. Holding the body in one hand gently pull on the tentacles to remove the insides, then remove the quill from inside the body cavity, finally peel the skin away from the outside of the body. Once the inside are out you can cut the head away from the tentacles The remove the mouth positioned at the base of the tentacles. Now wash the tentacles and body under cold running water.
Once they are cleaned cut the body into rings about 1/4 inch wide.

The tentacles don't need any further cutting. Now prepare the marinade in a bowl. Put the olive oil and add the marjoram, parsley, a clove of garlic crushed a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well and then add the calamari, mix again and then set in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour. Stir it occasionally. Heat your frying oil and prepare a plate with rice flour. Remove the calamari rings a few at a time, let them drip off, dredge them in the rice flour, shake off the excess and then fry them. Fry them until they start to turn golden brown and then place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Calamari need to be either cooked ...
... quickly on high heat, or cooked for a long period on a slow simmer. Anything in between can lead to a chewy result. Fried for just under a minute in hot oil as in this recipe results in tender, crispy rings of calamari. Use your favorite dipping sauce to serve, although I like to use a simple tomato sauce spiced up with a pinch of red pepper flakes. If you have never cleaned squid before, you might find their appearance a bit intimidating, however they are actually quite easy to clean.

To clean the squid, first pull out the tentacles and head. Set these aside. Remove the cartilage that runs down the back, and anything that is inside the tube. Run under cold water. Pull off the two wing pieces, and remove the skin. Slice the cleaned tube into 1 inch rings. Take the tentacles and cut off the head just below the eyes, and discard this. Remove the hard beak inside.

Place the cleaned calamari in the freezer for 5 minutes before cooking. Put 2 inches of oil into a pot, and heat to 375 degrees F. Mix the flour, cornmeal and spices together in a plastic bag. Drop in the calamari and shake well to cover with the coating. Drop the calamari into the hot oil, and cook for just under a minute, until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

A great way to serve fried calamari, is to put a handful on top of a dish of spaghetti already dressed with a good spicy tomato sauce. If you prefer a crispier crust to your calamari, dip them in beaten egg before dropping them into the coating. Ready you are Fried calamari Please visit in the site www.indomunch.com for extra details.