Breading for Calamari
There is nothing better than a large plate of beautifully light and crisp fried calamari! My friend Peter use to be manager at Centro in Chicago and they featured a large portion piled high on a platter with lots of Parmesan and lemon.
The following breading for calamari is similar but I added a few ingredients for flavor and heat.
I soak the squid in milk so it is tender. You may serve this with marinara sauce and lemon.
Try this also with shrimp as well. Here is a link to ChefTalk regarding some often asked questions about frying calamari.
This is great for the Christmas Eve Feast!
Fried Calamari Recipe
Yield 1 pound
Ingredients
8 oz All purpose flour
8 oz Corn starch
2 oz Fine Semolina ( blend if necessary)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
2 tbs Dry parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 pound clean squid with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rings, soaked in 2 cups milk for an hour.
Lemon to serve (I like hot sauce as well!)
Egg Wash
1 cup of whole milk
2 large eggs beaten
Method
Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches.
Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Working in small batches, dip the calamari into egg wash then drain and toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat.
Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch. Don't cook too long or they get tough.
Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
Place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a clean plate. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with the marinara sauce
