This crispy Calamari is crispy, crunchy, and incredibly easy to make. In this recipe, raw calamari is soaked in milk and then tossed in seasoned cornstarch and flour before being deep-fried until crispy and golden. Serve with a slice of lemon and fresh tzatziki for the best experience!
Looking for more delicious appetizers? Try my Spinach Dip next!
About This Recipe
Crispy Calamari.. quite possibly one of the greatest appetizers to ever exist. I remember the first time I had calamari was at a tapas restaurant in Victoria. My sister had come home for Christmas and took me and my brother out for dinner. We were super young at that time and mostly ate Chinese food at home, so this was a new experience for us.
We ordered a bunch of small plates, but the one that popped out to me was the calamari. I specifically remember telling my sister "This is one of the most flavorful things I've ever eaten". Something about the seasonings on the calamari combined with the bright and tangy tzatziki sauce was both new and delicious to me.
Naturally, calamari became one of those foods I obsessed over. Later in college, I found myself working in a kitchen, and I ended up being the one responsible for making the calamari! The recipe I'm showing today is based on the techniques that I learned during my time there.
Key Ingredients
Frozen calamari: You can use pre-sliced calamari rings or buy whole calamari and prepare it yourself. I couldn't find pre-sliced, so I had to clean and cut them myself. The benefit of buying whole calamari is that you get to enjoy the tentacles too.
Milk: The milk is for soaking the calamari pieces. It helps eliminate any fishy smells. Truthfully, we did not do this at the restaurant, but I know many recipes do this, and I've noticed it does help, so I included it in mine.
Flour: I used all-purpose flour. Flour provides the "crunch".
Cornstarch: Cornstarch provides the "crisp".
Seasonings: Dried dill, salt, and black pepper. These are what we used at the restaurant!
Instructions
STEP 1: Combine the calamari and milk in a medium bowl. Let this marinate for at least 15 minutes.
STEP 2: Combine the flour, cornstarch, dried dill, salt, and black pepper in a bowl.
STEP 3: Add a handful of calamari to the dry mixture and toss until each piece is evenly coated. If you can, try to get flour all over each calamari so that they don't stick together.
STEP 4: Preheat oi to 350°F. Fry the calamari in several batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Use a metal spider to move the calamari around so that they cook evenly. Transfer cooked calamari to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with tzatziki sauce and enjoy!
📋 Recipe
Calamari
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen calamari rings (thawed; see notes)
- ½ cup milk
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the calamari and milk in a medium bowl. Give it a good mix then let it marinate for 15 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, dried dill, salt, and black pepper.
- Take a handful of calamari, drop it into the dry mixture, and toss gently. Try to separate each piece of squid so that they are evenly coated and do not stick together.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil to 350°F in a large pot over medium-high heat. Fry a handful of squid at a time for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve hot with tzatziki sauce!
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