Fried calamari is one of the most sought after foods and it is said to be a great dish that is eaten all over the world. It seems that no place is complete without this food.
In fact, this food has such great traditions and history that people from many countries have their own ways on how to cook it. Some of the most common ways include deep frying, sauteing, and sometimes even grilling. The best way to cook calamari is to gently pan-fry them in a little olive oil.
Fried calamari is commonly served as a finger food, since it is made with small amounts of cooked calamari. It is a tasty treat, with a mild but pleasant garlic flavor so combining it with your favorite side dish will be a meal sure to please.
Calamari is a seafood delicacy that pairs well with a variety of different foods. Some of the side dishes best paired with calamari are fried potatoes, garlic bread, sauteéd veggies, or even eggs.
If you want to add a little more flavor to your calamari, you can also serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, or even pasta. Fried calamari is also served with coleslaw, french fries, or even a mixed salad.
You can also opt to accompany fried calamari with a chilled seafood. Popular seafood choices include shrimp, lobster, oysters, clams, and crab. Another classic choice is a salad with cold cooked white-meat chicken. Most importantly, calamari will taste best when dipping in your favorite sauce.
Dipping sauce to match your calamari
Since calamari is dredged in flour before frying, it’s best served with a dipping sauce or a light vinaigrette. Olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice with a bit of salt and pepper is a classic sauce for fried calamari.
Calamari is also often served with marinara sauce, but it is also ideal with other sauces, such as tartar sauce, garlic sauce, or even balsamic vinegar. It may also be served with other dipping sauce options, including sweet sauce or even a spicy sauce.
Some people also enjoy their calamari with mayonnaise. The combination of the crispness of the squid and the creaminess of the mayonnaise creates a wonderful dipping sauce that will delight any seafood lover.
Calamari can also be served with a dipping sauce made of aioli or melted butter with herbs and spices. Some recipes call for the calamari to be marinated in beer, wine, lemon juice, or milk for a short time before frying.
Salads for your fried calamari
The fried calamari can be served with a variety of side dishes. They can be served with salads to prepare it in a healthy way.
Salads are also very filling and can make you feel full longer, so there is no need to consume high calorie foods. The best salads to match your fried calamari are:
- Endive salad with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- Butternut squash, beetroot
- Arugula salad with a vinaigrette dressing
- Chickpea salad
Breads to match your calamari
Calamari can also be eaten with breads. This includes baguette, brioche, ciabatta, foccacia, garlic bread, garlic naan, french bread, granary bread, ionan bread, naan, pita bread, sourdough, whole wheat bread, zaatar bread.
What are the ingredients to cook calamari?
Calamari is not a complicated dish to cook after all. You can grab the following ingredients and start cooking your calamari.
- Calamari squid
- Salt and pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- White wine
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Chili
- Parsley
- Lemmon juice or zest
- Dipping sauce of choice
How to cook a delicious calamari?
When thinking about delicious calamari, you might be tempted to think of all the different ways you could combine it and cook it. You could cook it in a sauce, in a batter, or in a pan.
You can simply fry your calamari and follow these steps:
- Cut the tenderloins out of the squid tubes.
- Season the calamari with salt and pepper.
- In a saucepan, fry the calamari in the olive oil for a couple of minutes.
- Add the white wine, stock, tomatoes, garlic, chili and parsley (if you have these ingredients). Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- When the squid is cooked, add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes. You may also prepare your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy.
Fried calamari variations
Fried calamari is one of those foods that is easily available and you can make it without spending a lot of time. You can have it hot or cold, as a starter or side dish. You can also make it with a sauce or make it as a sandwich. As long as you have the ingredients in your kitchen, you can make it right at home.
There are three different ways to fry calamari:
- Battered– Battered calamari is fried breaded in a thick coating of cornmeal and flour. It is a type of food prepared by coating calamari rings in a batter, typically made of flour, eggs, and spices, and then frying them.
- Breaded– A breaded calamari or breaded jumbo shrimp is a deep-fried mixture of seafood meat and bread crumbs. It can be composed of several kinds of seafood such as shrimp, squid, and scallops. It is typically battered in milk (diluted) and egg and then deep-fried.
- Tempura– Tempura is fried in batter made from flour, egg, and ice water. This variation is known for its light and a crispy outer crust. The batter is usually brushed with oil or another fat prior to cooking to ensure the batter adheres to the food.
