Pan-Fried Squid (Calamari)

Fast, easy, and almost fool-proof calamari.

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Step 1: Clean and chop squid

Pull the head/tentacles away from the body. Scoop any remaining guts out of the body, and remove the thin plasticy quill. Rinse the body inside and out, then slice into approximately 3/4-1 inch thick rings.

Squeeze behind the head to extrude the beak, and remove it from the center of the tentacles. Cut just below the eyes to free the tentacles, then add them to the bowl with the body rings.

Tentacles are the best part. No, really- they're fantastic.

candijunkie421 says: Feb 5, 2010. 10:55 PM

cant wait to try this either! :)

pls says: Oct 25, 2008. 6:23 PM

I love calamari! this looks great:)

boombam says: Dec 2, 2007. 4:11 PM

you could also substitute flour for cornmeal to add some crunch, a small, and i mean SMALL, amount of sesamame oil or change it completely to rice oil for an asian twist

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canida (author) in reply to boombamDec 3, 2007. 10:50 AM

Neat idea! I haven't used rice oil- does it give a strong/distinctive flavor? I'm guessing not as strong as sesame oil.

boombam in reply to canidaDec 8, 2007. 7:10 PM

rice oil has a lighter and less powerful taste, and doesn't make you feel gross from eating deepfried food. i'm not sure its very cheap, but i think it's also used in tempura. here's a picture. http://www.suriny.com/images/banner%20rice%20bran.jpg

knex hater hater says: Jun 3, 2007. 9:07 PM

this is one of the things i make for family parties(i am from an asian decent just to let you know). I have never thought of mixing black pepper and chili powder. Hmmm, maybe when I disect squids I can give this recipie to my science teacher.

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canida (author) in reply to knex hater haterDec 3, 2007. 10:51 AM

Cool. What kind of spices do you use?

knex hater hater in reply to canidaDec 3, 2007. 3:25 PM

i sometimes use curry powder,i forgot the other spices though,srry,lol.

knex hater hater says: Jun 15, 2007. 6:27 PM

oh,and the quill that you take out, its actually the last remains of a shell that it used to have,a squid is related to a slug or snail. The squid is also considerd a shell fish.

phenoptix says: Apr 16, 2007. 6:17 PM

Alternatively here you can keep the body in a single piece, do all the previous steps but then insert a knife gently into the body and find the seam. Sounds strange but you'll see it! Cut along the seam and you'll get a nice big squid sheet. If you score this is in a criss-cross fashion on the unpaterned side when you put it into the pan it will curl up to it's original shape (but inside out). It gives a nice finished look to the dish

Operandi says: Mar 18, 2007. 4:36 PM

I came back from a fishing trip in Mexico with about 80lbs of giant squid. There about 20-35 lbs each. One addition to cooking bigger squid is that they are VERY salty. Soak the meat in milk for at least an hour. It will leach out much of the salt. Not sure what process does this.

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canida (author) in reply to OperandiMar 18, 2007. 4:50 PM

Whoa! What do you do with them? I've never cooked big squid, but have eaten them in restaurants. The bodies are usually sectioned and treated like quick-cooking steak- either marinated and grilled, or chopped into strips and quick-fried. I don't know that I've seen tentacles from the large squid used, though. Have you any further information to share? The soaking process is osmotic balance- the salt can pass through cell membranes, and will equilibrate with the outside liquid. Fresh water isn't a good choice, as it would easily be taken up into the meat, leaving you with a waterlogged mess- thus the milk.

phenoptix in reply to canidaApr 16, 2007. 6:13 PM

I believe large squid should be mechanically tenderised. A good squid tip is also to look for 2 rows of suckers on each tentacle, they're better eating!