If we were intimidated by any festival food, it was this one! But our Fried Calamari Recipe – Kalamarakia Tiganita, perfectly mimics the crispy, delicious favorite you get at the Greek festival!
Fried Calamari Recipe – Kalamararakia Tiganita is a Greek festival food favorite! In Greece, you will find this appetizer on the menu in most taverns, but especially on the islands where the calamari fresh and readily available. This light and crispy seafood dish is very simply coated with seasoned flour, so that the flavor of the calamari is enhanced and not hidden behind a thick batter. It’s then further enhanced with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. Simple ingredients, excellent flavors!
HOW TO MAKE THIS FRIED CALAMARI RECIPE
- Defrost calamari according to package directions.
- Rince the calamari bodies and tentacles in cold water. Cut the calamari bodies into 1/2 inch tubes.
- Dry them off well by laying flat on paper towels and dabbing with additional paper towels.
- Mix the flour, salt, ground pepper and dried parsley in a shallow baking dish.
- Dredge the calamari in batches making sure to coat well with the flour mixture. (Note, you may need to work the flour into the inside of the tubes.)
- Add 2-3 inches of extra virgin olive oil to a deep frying pan. Heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 375° F. (Note we use a cooking thermometer for liquids to measure the temperature of the oil.)
- Shake off any excess flour from the calamari and then add the calamari in small batches to the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the frying pan with the calamari. Overcrowding the pan will reduce the cooking temperature of the olive oil and it will take longer for the calamari to cook which could result in soggy calamari. Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes or until golden in color. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked calamari to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with additional sea salt, pepper and dried parsley.
HOW DO I MAKE SURE MY CALAMARI DOES NOT COME OUT TOO CHEWY?
It is easy to overcook calamari. It’s important to make sure the oil you are frying the calamari in is hot at 375° F, so that it cooks quickly. Cooking in larger batches will otherwise quickly reduce the temperature of the oil, which is why it’s recommended that the calamari is cooked in smaller batches for 2-3 minutes.
I HAVE EASY ACCESS TO FRESH CALAMARI AND PREFER TO USE FRESH OVER FROZEN.
A couple of recommendations on buying fresh calamari. First, look to purchase smaller calamari as the smaller ones are more tender. Second, when purchasing uncleaned calamari, you will want to purchase about 1/3 more in weight (e.g. if you need 1 pound for your recipe, purchase 1 1/3 pound) because you will end up discarding a portion of the calamari after it has been cleaned.
Fried Calamari Recipe
Fried Calamari Recipe - Kalamarakia Tiganita
Ingredients
- 1 lb calamari
- 1 cup flour, for dredging
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- Defrost calamari according to package directions. (Note that we purchase our calamari in the frozen seafood section of the supermarket because it is not always easily available fresh. The benefit is that the calamari is already cleaned.)
- Rinse the calamari bodies and tentacles in cold water. Cut the calamari bodies into 1/2 inch tubes. Dry them off well by laying flat on paper towels and dabbing with additional paper towels.
- Mix the flour, salt, ground pepper and dried parsley in a shallow baking dish. Dredge the calamari in batches making sure to coat well with the flour mixture. (Note, you may need to work the flour into the inside of the tubes.)
- Add 2-3 inches of extra virgin olive oil to a deep frying pan. Heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 375° F. (Note we use a cooking thermometer for liquids to measure the temperature of the oil.) Shake off any excess flour from the calamari and then add the calamari in small batches to the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the frying pan with the calamari. Overcrowding the pan will reduce the cooking temperature of the olive oil and it will take longer for the calamari to cook which could result in soggy calamari.
- Fry each batch for 3-4 minutes until golden in color. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked calamari to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with additional sea salt, pepper and dried parsley.
- Transfer calamari to a serving plate and garnish with lemon wedges.
Looks delicious!