This is one of the easy squid recipes. The batter coated fried calamari is crisp on the outside and is tender on the inside.
Marination time | Idle Time: 1 hour
- 1 pound (1/2 kg) Squid | Calamari
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or (1 cup Milk + 2 tablespoons vinegar)
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika | Red chili powder (Use 1/2 tablespoon if you want it to be mild)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro | Parsley
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
- Oil for deep frying. (sunflower, vegetable, canola, corn)
- For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce or ketchup (taste and add accordingly)
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Clean and slice the calamari | squid into circles. Cut the tentacles into two if its big. (Please refer notes on how to clean the squid).
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Soak the calamari in buttermilk for about an hour. It will make the calamari | squid tender. Cover and refrigerate. You can also let it soak for about 6 hours.
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Prepare the coating by mixing All-purpose flour + paprika + salt + dried cilantro + sesame seeds. Place the oil on medium heat.
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Once the oil is hot enough, coat one slice with flour and deep fry for about 2 minutes or till the inside are cooked thoroughly. Taste and adjust the salt and spices as needed. (To coat without a mess, use fork to remove the calamari from the buttermilk and to coat in the flour. After that, transfer to a sieve and shake it gently to remove the excess flour)
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Continue with the remaining Calamari | Squid. Drain on a kitchen paper towel to remove the excess oil from frying.
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Serve immediately.
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For the sauce: Mix mayonnaise with hot sauce or ketchup. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed.
To clean the squid: (Check out the post to see step by step images)
- First, pull the head out. Reserve the tentacles. You can cut it into two if it is large.
2. Peel of the purple skin. No need to remove the purple skin from the tentacles.
3. Remove the transparent cartridge from the inside. You can also peel off the wings if you want circles to be consistent.
4. Rinse the inside thoroughly with water, making sure there is nothing left.
5. Pat dry the squids with a kitchen towel or place it in the colander for the excess water to drain.
6. Slice it thin into circles.