Some of my favorite memories from growing up in Florida are of weekends spent hanging out with my brother. We’d go to the movies, play (really bad) racquetball, lounge on the beach, waste money in arcades, and eat out. A LOT. I remember this great Italian place that we loved (although of course I have no clue as to the name anymore) and they had the best calamari appetizer I’ve ever had. We’d go there just so that we could order it. What’s better than seafood straight from the ocean thirty minutes away? When I moved across the country to landlocked Colorado, I sadly missed my fresh seafood and amazing calamari dishes. And up until last week, it had never occurred to me to make my own fresh calamari at home (as fresh as previously frozen calamari steaks can get). But my lovely and wonderful Sprouts (local grocery store) “fish guy” orders the best wild seafood and I was drawn to the calamari steaks with the eager excitement of a chubby kid in front of a birthday cake. $5.99 for a pound?! “Umm, ten pounds please!” Okay, not really. I bought three individual steaks for about 3 bucks and proudly pranced up to my husband with my new treasures. He was nervous, but fully committed himself to the task of making incredible calamari. Boy did he deliver. TRY.THIS.RECIPE. I know fried foods are a no-no, but if you indulge yourself on anything this week/month/year, let it be this calamari.
Breaded Calamari
Yield 6 servings
This recipe was adapted from Food.com by Chef Marvel Iris.
Ingredients
- 6 calamari steaks
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 5-6 dashes Tabasco
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Slice the calamari steaks into thin strips, then soak the strips in a large bowl filled with the buttermilk. Let them sit, covered, for 15-30 minutes.
- Set out 3 separate bowls that are good to coat and mix in. In one, whisk together the eggs, Tabasco sauce, and 1/2 cup of milk. In another, mix the flour, cumin, chile powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. And fill the third with the bread crumbs.
- Set the bowls aside and heat the oil in a large skillet.
- When the oil is extremely hot, drain the calamari. Working in batches, dredge the strips in the flour mixture, then dip them into the egg, and lastly, dredge them in the breadcrumbs.
- Working again in batches, fry the strips in the oil until golden brown on each side. This should only take a few minutes per batch.
- Drain it all on paper towels and let it cool.
- Serve with marinara and enjoy!
