Baked Calamari, Italian Style

Get ready to enjoy a delicious, Italian Style, Baked Calamari - relatively quick and so easy to make, and the results are amazing. Once you try this recipe, you will always want to make calamari this way - healthier than fired and absolutely delicious - hope you enjoy the show :)

How to fry Calamari - very tender, crispy and delicious (not rubbery!!)

00:00 Intro
00:16 Prepping the brine
01:07 Cutting the calamari
03:02 Seasoning the calamari
06:26 Into the oven
08:07 Plating
08:34 Taste test
10:08 Outro

Baked Calamari – Italian Style
Ingredients:
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 TSP baking soda
• 1 TBSP lemon juice (i.e. juice from ½ lemon)
• 1 LB calamari (whole preferred)
• 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and a bit more for drizzling
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 1 ½ TBSP – 2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
• 3 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
• Spices: Old bay seasoning or Red Lobster seasoning or salt/pepper to taste
• 10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters
• ¼ cup sliced green olives
• ¼ cup, breadcrumbs

Process:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• Cut calamari into 1-inch (25 mm) rings and leave tentacles whole
• In a bowl, add milk, baking soda and lemon juice – mix, then add the cut calamari and let soak for 30 minutes or more, but at least 15 minutes (in fridge)
• Pour calamari into a fine mesh strainer, and stain out all the liquid – then place in a bowl and pat-dry a bit, with a paper towel
• Add 1 TBSP EVOO and toss with calamari. Then add the lemon zest, parmesan cheese, parsley, spices to taste, cherry tomatoes, olives and breadcrumbs
• Toss to coat
• Line a sheet pan (cookie sheet) with parchment paper, then add the calamari – spread the calamari out to evenly distribute for better cooking
• Place into pre-heated oven, and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, to desired doneness
• Remove from oven, transfer to serving bowl and enjoy

My Kitchen Gear
Here are a few things I mentioned in the video. Please shop and support your local shops! If you cannot find them there, here are some links to help out.

"My Bread Book" by Jim Lahey

Lagostina Tuscan Collection Orange Oval Casserole Dish / Dutch Oven, 5 Quarts

Thank you!

[mynameisnotsp]

Thank you for sharing your recipe Coias!

[nerinat]

Love this dish as its not fried... thanks Ivo

[mlaff]

Did like the tomato idea. I’ll give this one a try

[nickfranklin]

Another delicious recipe Ivo! I catch my own calamari which is generally a lot larger, maybe brine it for a bit longer?

[andreialexandrugheorghe]

Everybody is free to choose the ingredients the way they like, however I fault you on adding olives in the mix. They don't match well with calamari because of their strong flavour. I suggest you use capers instead even if they have strong flavour ( stronger than olives) they go well with seafood. Drop freshly chopped rosemary and freshly chopped oregano in the marinade and garlic. After taking out add an egg wash whisked very well. Drain well and add 1 tsp of cornflour. Give a good mix then drop back into the egg wash, then add the breadcrumbs. Is going to be much crisper and will add a plus of flavour to your dish. You can add tomatoes if you like, personally I don't recommend, but after 10 minutes of cooking the calamari, otherwise the juice from tomatoes will get the calamari soggy and unpleasant as texture. Make a buttery sauce with it as this will enrich your calamari with more flavour. Is a nice dish, don't get me wrong, but it could be better. Try it this way and please let me know if you like it better. Thanks for the video, keep it up! By the way, why don't you make your oun infused oils? Add chillies and you'll get the kick, add garlic, add rosemary, add oregano or thyme to your olive oil. You will get a better flavour oil when added to the pan.❤❤❤