Best Flash Fried Squid Recipes

FRIED SQUID

Steps:

• Put 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, spread about 1/4 of the squid at a time on several layers of paper towels and put another couple of layers of towels on top, blotting squid to rid it of as much moisture as possible. Season squid with salt and pepper; put flour in a bowl.
• When oil is hot, put about 1/4 of the squid in flour, then move it to a sieve over the bowl and shake to remove any excess. Add squid to oil along with some jalapeños if you like, adjusting heat as necessary so temperature remains nearly constant. Fry until squid is lightly browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Start next batch while you eat the first with lemon wedges.

FRIED CALAMARI

Steps:

• 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 flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches, 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. 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 salt. Serve with the marinara sauce.
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

FLASH FRIED SQUID

Steps:

• Prepare gremolata: In a small bowl, combine the parsley, horseradish, and lemon zest; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne; set aside.
• To cook the squid, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a straight-sided pot. Be sure not to fill your pot more than halfway up the side with oil, because it will foam during frying.
• Pat the squid dry, and toss in the seasoned flour mixture to coat. Let stand 1 minute. Shake the floured squid in a sieve to remove any excess flour. Fry in batches, without crowding, until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Drain the squid on paper towels. (Frying a batch of squid will bring the temperature of the oil down. Be sure to reheat the oil in between batches and check the temperature again with a deep-fry thermometer before adding more squid.)
• Season squid with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the gremolata over squid. Serve immediately with aioli and lemon wedges.

CRISPY FRIED CALAMARI RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice the calamari tubes into ¾-inch thick rings.
• In a medium bowl, stir 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt in ½ cup milk.
• Add the calamari rings to the milk mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne (make sure the mixture is well combined).
• Prepare a large colander and set it on top of a large bowl. Using a pair of tongs, take a portion of the calamari rings (about ½ of them) shake off excess milk and toss the calamari in the flour mixture. Toss the calamari to coat evenly. Put the coated calamari in the colander. Repeat with the rest of the calamari.
• Turn your oven on a low 150 degrees F. Prepare a large sheet pan and set a wire rack on top. Top the wire rack with paper towel.
• Heat 4 inches of grape seed oil in a small cooking pot (I used a 2.5 quart pot) to somewhere between 350 and 365 degrees F. To test your oil, drop one calamari ring, many bubbles will form around it and the calamari will begin to float.
• Once your oil is ready, using a pair of tongs, gently add some of the calamari in and fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the calamari from the oil and arrange it on the paper towel on top of your prepared wire rack. Immediately season with kosher salt, then transfer to your warm oven to keep warm while you work on the rest. Repeat until you have fried all the calamari.
• Transfer the fried calamari to a serving plate and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice!

CALAMARI SPECIAL

Steps:

• Firstly, prepare a deep-fryer with a good vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees F, or use a medium size deep frying pan on high heat.
• Defrost calamari and rinse under cold running water.
• Cut calamari into 1/4 inch strips. If using fresh calamari, just cut into 1/4 inch strips. Pat dry calamari with paper towels.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together flour and Panko bread crumbs.
• Add milk to a bowl and dip calamari in the milk.
• Toss calamari strips in flour/crumb mixture just to coat. You do not want to have a heavy coating as it could drop off when frying.
• Flash fry coated calamari in prepared deep-fryer or frying pan for about 15 seconds, deep frying in small amounts.
• In a frying pan, heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to medium-high heat.
• Add garlic and Sambal Oelek and stir well, cover with a screen to prevent oil from spattering or splashing.
• Sauté flash-fried calamari for about 1 minute or until nicely light brown. Do not over fry as it could get chewy.
• Serve calamari with your favorite dip.

SPICY AND GREASY RHODE ISLAND CALAMARI

Steps:

• Working Ahead:
• The squid can be cleaned (if necessary) and cut in the morning, then covered and refrigerated. The fry mix can also be made early in the day.
• Cut squid bodies into 1/2″ rings and put in a colander set over a bowl; add whole tentacles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 6 hours).
• Fry Mix:
• Combine cornstarch, flour, cornmeal, salt, and both peppers in a large bowl and whisk well. Refrigerate if not using within an hour or two to prevent humidity from changing the mixture.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 3" of oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat (or in a deep fryer) until it registers 360° on a deep-fry thermometer.
• While oil is heating, pour buttermilk into a large bowl and drop squid into it. Stir with a Chinese wire-mesh skimmer to coat, then lift about half of squid pieces from buttermilk, allowing excess buttermilk to drip back into bowl, and drop pieces into the dry mix. Rinse and dry the wire skimmer. Toss pieces to coat evenly with the mix, then lift them out with skimmer, gently shake off excess fry mix, and transfer to a plate. Bread remaining squid. Rinse and dry skimmer.
• Heat a 10″-12″sauté pan over medium heat and add butter. Once it melts, add garlic and sauté until golden. Add drained cherry peppers and toss to combine. Turn heat down to low while you fry squid.
• When the oil is hot, carefully drop half the squid pieces into oil. If any of the pieces stick to the bottom of the pot, loosen with tongs. Turn squid occasionally to cook evenly; it will only take about 1 1/2 minutes until they are crisp and golden.
• Fry remaining squid and drain.
• Add all of fried squid to the hot pan with the garlic and sliced peppers, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and quickly and gently toss (only twice). Divide among 4 small plates and serve immediately.