Calamari Recipe
Make crispy, golden-brown calamari at home with this simple recipe—simple ingredients, quick prep, and ready to serve in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound calamari, tubes and tentacles
- 1 cup cultured buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- oil for frying
- lemon wedges and minced parsley for garnish
- Marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Clean the calamari by rinsing it under cold water, then remove the fins (wings) if attached. You may also need to remove the beak.
- Slice the tubes into ¾” to 1” thick slices. Remove the two longer tentacles by pulling or slicing them off.
- Add them to a bowl with the buttermilk and ½ teaspoons of salt and thoroughly mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, add enough oil to fill a medium-sized pot and heat over low-medium until it reaches 350°. Once it reaches that temperature, adjust the temperature so that it stays there.
- Next, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Add half of the squid and drain off as much liquid as possible. Then, add it right to the batter. Using your hands, move the squid around for 45 seconds to 1 minute to ensure they are completely coated.
- Add the coated calamari into a single or wide mesh strainer and shake off excess.
- Place the calamari in different spots in the oil so that they don’t clump up in a specific area. Cook them for a maximum of 3 minutes while occasionally moving things around with a hand strainer.
- Drain on paper towels and repeat the process with the remaining half of the squid.
- Serve with lemon wedges, optional marinara sauce, and minced parsley.
Notes
If you want your calamari to have that signature restaurant-quality crunch, ensure you’re heating your oil to a steady 350°F. A candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer makes it easy to keep track of the temperature. No thermometer? Just drop in a pinch of flour. If the oil sizzles immediately, you’ll know it’s properly heated.
Cleaning squid correctly: If you’re making this with a fresh whole squid, you must remove the tiny fin-like wings, the beak (hard cartilage in the center of the tentacles), and the outer membrane for the best texture.
Slice the calamari into thick rings: Aim to cut the cleaned squid tubes into 3/4-inch to 1-inch-thick rings. This ensures that they’ll be nice and tender and will fry evenly.
Tenderizing the calamari: I typically soak the rings, tentacles, and sometimes the wings in the buttermilk mixture for 20 minutes, but feel free to extend the soak to up to an hour for an extra tender and flavorful bite.
Always fry in two batches: This will prevent your oil from dropping in temperature, which can cause the calamari to absorb the oil and become soggy.
Make-Ahead: You can bread and freeze the calamari for 2 to 3 months before frying the batch. When it’s time to eat, fry the calamari straight from frozen and add an extra minute to the frying time.
How to Store: Calamari is best enjoyed fresh from the fryer, but leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.
How to Reheat: Place the leftover calamari on a wire rack and reheat it in a 350°F oven or air fryer for 5 to 7 minutes or until it’s heated through and crispy again.
Nutrition
Calories: 435kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 20gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 266mgSodium: 506mgPotassium: 388mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 289IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 2mg