FRIED CALAMARI AT HOME (Crispy Breading That Actually Sticks)

🔪MY GEAR:

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RECIPE
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CALAMARI
▪1lb or 1/2kg squid rings and tentacles, thawed
▪Buttermilk brine (300g cold buttermilk & 10g salt, stirred)
▪300g or 1 3/4c ap flour
▪100g or 3/4c cornstarch
▪6g or 2tsp baking powder
▪2-3g or 1ish tsp black pepper (finely ground)
▪2qt or 8c neutral oil (peanut, canola, etc)
▪Few pinches of salt

Thaw squid overnight in the fridge or under cold running water. Slice tubes into 3/4" or 2cm rings. Slice larger tentacles in half if needed. Pour buttermilk brine over squid pieces and toss to combine. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30min-2 hours.

To make the breading, add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and black pepper to a med-lrg bowl. Whisk to combine. Use spider (or slotted spoon) to transfer the calamari pieces into the breading, making sure to drain off as much buttermilk as possible. Coat pieces with breading mix. Transfer pieces of calamari onto a sheet tray, shaking off excess breading as you go.

To fry, add 2qts oil to a large, heavy bottomed pot. Preheat over medium heat or until oil reaches 365F/185C. Carefully add in 1/2 of the calamari. Use spider to move around calamari pieces, making sure they cook evenly and no pieces are stuck together. Fry for about 3min or until pieces are lightly golden brown. Scoop out of oil with spider and transfer to a towel lined tray. Sprinkle with salt. Fry second batch of calamari.

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MARINARA / "RED SAUCE"
▪800g or 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
▪1/2g or 1tsp dried basil
▪1/2g or 1tsp dried oregano
▪1/2g or 1/2tsp dried chili flake
▪10g or 2 1/3tsp sugar
▪7g or 1 1/4tsp salt
▪50g or 3Tbsp tomato paste
▪25g or 2Tbsp (double glug) olive oil
▪15g or 2 cloves minced garlic

Combine tomatoes, herbs, chili flake, salt, sugar and tomato paste in a high sided container and blend with immersion blender until smooth.

Preheat saute pan over medium then add olive oil and garlic, stirring immediately to begin to cook (about 30sec). When aromatic, add tomato mixture. Stir then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-25min until thickened.

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CHIPOTLE RANCH SAUCE
▪125g or 1/2c mayo
▪1 large garlic clove, minced
▪5-10g or 1-2tsp hot sauce
▪1 chipotle chili in adobo
▪15g or 1Tbsp lemon juice
▪50g or 1/2c sour cream

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

#calamari #friedcalamari #calamarirecipe #butcherboxpartner #butcherbox

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[terrytrocki]

Brian, cooked this tonight for my kids who are calamari connoisseur's when it comes to it. Sniffing out funky calamari at every restaurant we go to. Got to say B, easy to make and prep and it turned out incredible. Keep cooking buddy Really appreciate all the content.

[mjg]

I just like the modest comment when he burnt his hand, we dont always do smart things and being able to acknowledge that on camera to people you teach is a very open experience

[ElGrecoDaGeek]

In Greece we just use flour. The wet calamari is just coated in the flour and then fried until golden brown. It's a light coating. Cook time is about 3-4 minutes at. Salt and pepper plus fresh squeezed. Sauce is tzatziki... As long as it's quality squid the end product is indistinguishable from calamari at a seaside Greek taverna.

[philmann]

Definitely need the tentacles. They're the squid equivalent of dark meat in chicken -- the usually overlooked best part.

[yorkieleaf]

My gf and I made this tonight! Turned out fantastic. That adobo sauce is super tasty. It’s very important to monitor the temperature of your oil. I kept having to adjust the heat because it either got too hot or too cold.

[kantemirovskayalightninga]

When I worked in Naples with satellites n stuff (Italy, not Florida) I helped at an Italian friends kitchen @ his Trattoria (yes I worked for free for the exp!) with his mom... flour with seasoning but the key she beat into my head and demonstrated is that frozen NOT FRESH is the key. Never use fresh squid... the freezing breaks the cells just-enuf to avoid that chewy stuff..

[Pammellam]

Brian, have you ever tried RICE FLOUR when deep frying??? It is used in a combo with regular flour here in Japan when you want REALLY crispy results when deep frying like on Kara age, Japanese deep fried chicken. It is used with other deep frying too.

That squid looks amazing. And crispy!

[____Ann____]

Hi! I started with your 1 dough 'best' loaf. Made your chocolate muffins about 2 weeks ago. And your Aloo Gobi. Made your chicken soup 3 days ago. Caesar salad yesterday. Pesto salad today. That is a lot of recipes in 2 weeks time. They are all super tasty. Your French baguette, soft pretzel and Olive Garden salad are now on my to do list. Thanks so much for your videos!

[sweetvid]

Found your channel an hour or so ago, and just watched your second video posted on YouTube and immediately after that videos, I am currently watching this and I gotta say my man, well done, your confidence, production quality, personality and pureness is an absolute treat and I wish you all the best and keep up the quality content sir!

[pL]

1:27 pouring the buttermilk from one container to another 🤣🤣 respect the dedication

[vicv]

perfect! from where I'm from, we mix 1 part vinegar and soy sauce then some chopped garlic and red onions, from there you can add whatever to fancy. mana from heaven.

[nicj]

Brian... being a tentacle guy means something different on the internet 💀

[joekoscielniak]

Who doesn't love fried calamari? I'm with you Brian, I love the tentacles, tender, full of the flavor of the sea and crispy.
Love the red sauce, perfect.

[jeremiahsardelis]

I’ve followed the recipe while watching this video and it was the success! I made it myself while using the correct ingredients and it was so delicious and I really enjoyed of the food I made and proud of what I did of my work! Thank you!

[mattybhoy]

Looks great. I'm south African from Durban. We have a huge Portuguese influence with our food ( nando's is south African) and our province neighbours Mozambique. Biggest problems that make people dislike calamari is 1. That elastic Membrane has not been removed. 2. It is overcooked. The margin for error between cooked and undercooked calamari is huge, 1 minute over and it's going to be chewy. 3. People put it into too dense a batter. You end up getting q soggy batter with overcooked calamari... what we do is make fried crumbed calamari mixing it into bread crumbs and mozambiquan spices. Tiny bit of egg just so the crumbs stick. Deep fry it for a very short period of time and serve with a lemon and garlic butter sauce on the side to dip. Super crispy, super soft and the emphasis is placed on the taste of the calamari, not the batter

[DrBrunoRecipes]

Excellent 👌🏻 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a wonderful day everyone 🌻

[ferrari_guy]

This is the best Calamari recipe on Youtube!

[gerardmiele]

Just made this for Christmas Eve. It was the best Calamari I’ve ever had. Thanks for the tips.

[BlowUpTheOutsideWorld]

The three doughs cold fermenting in the fridge remind remind me of mine, which is going on its fourth day of cold fermentation 🤩 I'm planning on turning it into pizza tomorrow!

[farmageddon]

Ah, Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes...a man of sophistication, I see!

Good choice. Best canned tomato of all time.