Toyomansi Calamares Recipes

CALAMARI

Steps:

• Preheat oil in a heavy, deep frying pan or pot. Oil should be heated to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• In a medium size mixing bowl mix together flour, salt, oregano and black pepper. Dredge squid through flour and spice mixture.
• Place squid in oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until light brown. Beware of overcooking, squid will be tough if overcooked. Dry squid on paper towels. Serve with wedges of lemon.

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.

CALAMARI

Steps:

• Cut the squid into rings or strips and separate the tentacles. Place in a bowl with the milk and garlic for a couple of hours.
• Mix all the dry elements of the batter together in a bowl. When ready to cook, take a suitable pan and fill it 1/3 with oil. Heat but do not let the oil smoke. If you have a thermometer heat to 200 degrees C. If you do not have a thermometer place a small cube of white bread in the pan. If it browns in 5 to 10 seconds the oil is at the correct temperature.
• When ready, mix the icy lemonade with the egg and then into the dry batter ingredients. It should resemble melted ice cream.
• Dust each piece of the squid in flour, then into the batter, shaking off the excess. Carefully drop into the oil and cook for approx 2 minutes until golden. Cook as much as you can cope with at a time, but do not overfill the pan. When golden remove onto kitchen towel to drain.
• Serve with lemon, salt and pepper.

BUTTERMILK-BATTERED CALAMARI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan or deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Pour buttermilk into a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Dip squid rings into the buttermilk, then into the seasoned flour.
• Place the coated pieces in the hot oil, and fry in small batches, turning if necessary, for even cooking. When evenly browned, remove to paper towels to drain, and continue with the rest of the squid. Serve hot.

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.