Fried Squid (Calamari)
The crispiest fried squid, Greek-style! Served with a refreshing garlicky yogurt-mayo dip.
Servings: 3 to 4 people
Calories: 660kcal
Ingredients
For The Fried Squid:
- 650 grams (1.4 pounds) squid it's about 500 grams (1.1 pounds) cleaned squid
- 1 liter water at room temperature/ slightly lukewarm
- 30 grams (3 loaded tablespoons) fine sea salt
- all-purpose flour
- frying oil I use sunflower oil
- lemon cut into quarters to serve with
For The Yogurt Dip:
- 200 grams (¾ cup) Greek yogurt
- 100 grams (½ cup) mayonaisse
- 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon dill finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt + pepper
Instructions
Make The Yogurt Dip:
- Mix all of the ingredients for the yogurt dip in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
Prepare The Squid:
- Clean the Squid. Pull the head to separate from the body, cut the head right where the legs begin, and remove the teeth from the center of the legs. Remove the skin from the body, peeling it with your fingers. Remove everything from inside the body. Rinse well.
- Cut the squid into 2cm (¾-inch) thick ring slices. The bottom piece cut it open in half.
- Pour 1 liter of water (room temperature or close to lukewarm) into a mixing bowl.
- Add the sea salt and whisk to dissolve.
- Brine. Dip the squid and soak at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Add plenty of flour to a bowl. Take handfuls of the squid and toss them in the flour. Mix and shake the bowl to coat the squid with flour. Sit for 10 minutes while you heat the oil.
Fry The Squid:
- Heat oil in a small to medium-sized cooking pot. I used a 3-liter cooking pot. The oil should be at least 5 cm (2 inches) deep. See notes below.
- Wait until the oil reaches 175°C / 347°F before adding the squid. It's going to be sizzling hot but not smoky hot. You may test by adding a drop of flour into the hot oil.
- Stir squid in flour again, making sure it's well coated and each piece separated from the other.
- Dip 8-10 pieces of squid into the hot oil one at a time. Wait 3-4 seconds before adding the next piece so the temperature won't drop suddenly.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes if you are cooking small to medium-sized squid or for 3-4 minutes if cooking medium to large squid.
- Remove the squid with a slotted spoon. See notes below.
- Drain on paper towels and proceed with cooking the next batch.
- Serve with pieces of lemon to squeeze on top and the yogurt dip on the side.
Notes
-Prefer a narrow cooking pot to one with a wide opening, as it will retain temperature better.
-You may also use a deep frying pan if you have a strong gas stove, for example.
-Thin-bottomed cooking pots are also best for frying calamari on an electric stovetop.
-Don't expect the squid to get too much color (or you might overcook it!), just a light sandy-golden color. You may turn the pieces with a fork once they start to float on top. You know squid is ready when it starts to make explosive sounds. This means heat has reached the center where the last of its moisture is.
-When you remove the squid from the hot oil, use a slotted spoon (or even better, a spider strainer spoon) and hold it for a few seconds to drain excess oil before transferring to paper towels.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 660kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 52g