How To Make Fried Calamari

I don’t remember too much about my grandmother, she died when I was still a kid, but one thing I can recall with distinct clarity is her cooking. She was accomplished in Italian American cooking – making sunday sauce and macaroni that was the stuff of legends. I remember one Christmas day where I was sat down at a long table and was served dish after dish of her food until I was stuffed beyond measure. My favorites that day was a fragrant Italian Wedding Soup and fried calamari garnished with lemon wedges and served with a spicy marinara sauce. I often wished I could have learned the secret recipes that have made her food so intrinsic to my memory of her.

This Christmas, thanks to a request by my favorite master chef – my mom – I made fried calamari for Christmas Eve. As much as I would like to say that I felt some ancient Italian connection with my grandmother, I didn’t. However, as I was slicing squid and tossing the little tender white circles in flour with my little sister I felt another tradition was being born, and more importantly I was sharing a moment and a recipe I hope my baby sister can look back on with joy – and with the desire to recreate it herself.

Done correctly, this recipe yields perfect, crispy, light calamari. The calamari itself is tender and has a sweet briny, and subtle buttery flavor. If you’re serving a crowd I recommend picking up extra calamari as this is sure to be a hit. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can slice up some sweet Italian peppers – quickly fry them and serve them with your calamari.

Enjoy!