Golden crispy fried calamari recipe is probably one of the best appetizers recipes I enjoy. Grilled, stuffed or slow cooked in tomato sauce, I love calamari in all forms and shapes. But fried ones are my best favorite.
Next time, try this fried tilapia recipe.
Calamari is a highly controversial food. Some people say they are too rubbery others do not eat it for the fear of tentacles and in my opinion they are eaten pretty much less than they should.
Calamari and squid are pleasantly chewy, but not rubbery, when cooked properly. Let me show you with some simple tricks how to cook this delicious appetizer.
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❓Why This Recipe Works
- Tender calamari with no rubbery texture.
- Light, golden crust and not heavy on batter.
- An easy appetizer that works great with a squeeze of lemon juice and some dips.
This is how we cook squid rings to perfection. Golden calamari that is not overly fishy nor rubbery.
📝 Ingredients
🥄 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- First of all we'll soak the squid rings in a couple of tablespoons of vinegar. Rinse with cold water and pat dry.
- In a large bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, spices and calamari. Toss to combine and coat the rings well. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Coat calamari rings in the flour mixture well. Shake off excess flour.
- Fry in hot oil for about 3 minutes in small batches. Take them out, using a slotted spoon, on a plate with paper towel. Server immediately.
💡 Tips
- Soaking calamari rings in vinegar helps tenderize them which makes them less chewy. Also it gets rid of any unpleasant smell.
- After this I like to marinade the calamari in a special spice mix with olive oil. I use garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and cumin. This combination pairs very well with calamari and it will still taste like calamari, nothing overpowering here.
- Making a thick batter, the one that is like pancakes, is not something my mom used to make. I'm more used to a simple dusting with lightly seasoned flour and that's it.
- Some people add semolina or cornflour for a more crispy coating.
- Be sure to use a high smoke point oil such as grapeseed or vegetable oil.
- Fry calamari in single layer and do not cram the skillet.
- Squid rings are slightly chewy when quickly fried at about 130F. When they reach 140F the connective tissues shrink making the calamari tough.
🍽️ Serve With
Serve as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce, such as cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or marinara sauce.
💬 FAQs
o help make your calamari less chewy you can soak in milk or some acid. It is recommended to soak in milk for several hours and preferably overnight. I like soaking my rings in some vinegar for 30 minutes to an hour at most. You can soak in lemon juice and some people swear by the kiwi juice as well.
Cooking calamari is very tricky and requires a lot of attention. In fact this is the hardest part in this recipe as you can ruin the whole thing in a matter of minutes if you are not paying attention. The best ways to cook calamari is low and slow or quick on high temperature like our case here for fried calamari.
For us here, I've always considered fried calamari as an appetizer that I order in a restaurant and that's it. The fear of cooking rubbery calamari has been keeping me from making my own homemade fried calamari.
To be honest, I did not grow up eating calamari tentacles we only had the squid rings in Egypt. I have no idea what they are doing with the tentacles though. That might not be the case anymore though, as I have been away for more than 15 years now. I have to admit when I fist saw the fried calamari tentacles it was weird then it got easier and easier.
📣 More Recipes From the Blog
- If you're looking for a quick, healthy low carb dinner recipe, look no further than this easy keto shrimp scampi!
- Baked sea bass, one of our favorite Middle Eastern fish recipes.
- Another favorite is this delicious crispy fried tilapia, one that you definitely should try.
I hope you'll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter!
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Crispy Fried Calamari
Ingredients
- 1 pound Calamari rings.
- 2 Tablespoon white vinegar.
- For the marinade:
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
- 1 large garlic clove.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder.
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
- Coating mix:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a deep bowl add calamari rings , vinegar and mix well. Set aside for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse with cold water and pat dry. Note1
- Add the marinade ingredients to the calamari and toss well. Let it marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge.
- In a deep frying pot, heat your frying oil.
- While the oil is heating up, add the coating ingredients in a deep bowl and mix well.
- Add the calamari one by one and toss to cover with the flour mixture.
- Fry in batches for about 3 minute or until lightly brown.
Notes
- Soaking calamari rings in vinegar helps tenderize them which makes them less chewy. Also it gets rid of any unpleasant smell.
- After this I like to marinade the calamari in a special spice mix with olive oil. I use garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and cumin. This combination pairs very well with calamari and it will still taste like calamari, nothing overpowering here.
- Making a thick batter, the one that is like pancakes, is not something my mom used to make. I'm more used to a simple dusting with lightly seasoned flour and that's it.
- Some people add semolina or cornflour for a more crispy coating.
- Squid rings are slightly chewy when quickly fried at about 130F. When they reach 140F the connective tissues shrink making the calamari tough.
Nutrition
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First published Feb, 2020. Last updated November 29, 2021 for better user experience and readability.
Oil temperature??
Gary, it should be around 375F.
I was wondering how do I go about frozen calamari rings dear Amira !?
Can I use this recipe in an airfrier !?
Thank ya for all your help ❤️
Irma, you'll just need to thaw and drain the calamari, as for the air fryer although I haven't tried it but I do not see why not.
Good morning sweetie :-))
Thank ya for your kind advice !! I love airfrier cooking and soon I will let you know about the outcome ... Have a blessed Saturday !!!
Hey darling
This is Irma and overexcited about this recipe !!! I can't wait to try it I love calamari ❤️ Have a blessed Sunday angel
Thank you Irma I love calamari too, I hope you'll like the recipe.
Definitely so !!!