If I had to choose just one protein, it would be seafood. In particular, I love squid. I also love garlic and deep fried food, so this recipe is right up my alley. I hope you try it.
(I'm not sure where this recipe originated so if you know, please alert me and I'll gladly cite the source!)
2 quarts peanut oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 pound frozen calamari rings and tentacles, thawed; or fresh calamari sliced into rings and tentacles
2 1/2 cups tempura flour
1/4 cup Blackening Spice
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
Salt
Heat oil in fryer to 350F.
Pour cream into a large bowl. Add calamari and stir until evenly coated. Add 1/2 cup of the flour and stir until the calamari is completely coated with the batter.
In a large plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid, whisk together remaining 2 cups flour, blackening spice, black pepper, and paprika. Add the coated calamari to the bowl and cover with the lid. Shake the bowl vigorously to coat calamari. Transfer calamari to a sieve and gently shake off excess. Fry immedieately in heated oil until golden, about 30 - 45 secs. Using a slotted spoon, transfer calamari to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Season with salt to taste. Serve warm with Lemon Aioli.
Blackening Spice
1 Tsp. dried basil
1 Tsp. dried thyme
1 Tsp. garlic powder
1 Tsp. white pepper
1 Tsp. black pepper
1 Tsp. sea salt
1 Tsp. onion powder
2 Tsp. cayenne powder
1 Tsp. paprika (sweet, hot, or smoked -- I prefer smoked for this recipe)
Lemon Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise (freshly made rather than store bought is best)
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, curly or Italian
I do love seafood and calamari. I will have to try this recipe when I am in Maryland in a few weeks. I suspect calamari will be easier to get there (and cheaper) than in Montana...
ReplyDeleteI've used frozen from Safeway or QFC and found that it works just as well as the fresh squid from Mutual Fish in Seattle.
ReplyDeleteI was raised over her on the coast, so I was weaned on all this stuff. We dug for razor clams and goeducks, had fresh oysters (the little Olympias are my favorite), sea bass, mackerel, salmon, steelhead, etc. When I travel (which is seldom), I like to try the local seafood if the location is near salt water. I like fresh water food, too -- a fresh rainbow trout is hard to beat and Montana has some of the best fishing.
I lived in Maryland for a couple of years while in school. I had the famous blue crabs and like them, although growing up here with Dungeness has spoiled me. Atlantic cod is good, though and I had some good fish and chips as well as New England fish cakes when I traveled up the coast to Boston.
If you try these calamari, let me know how it goes. The first time I tried it, it came out perfectly. This second time, the breading was too light and it crumbled off the squid too easily. I'm all for a light hand re. breading but batter needs to cling -- should have stirred it a bit more and patted the squid really dry prior to breading.
Oh, good to know about the frozen. I'll check that out. I will have to make it with something other than flour for the breading since I don't eat wheat, but there are some decent alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI grew up right outside of Cleveland and for me, the ultimate in seafood (lake food?) is yellow perch, followed closely by catfish and even bluegill (which are very very tiny filets). My mother's business partner owns a fishing charter on Lake Erie and if they have a good haul, sometimes she ships some perch out for me. I'll eat lake trout, but it really isn't my favorite.
Now I am hungry.