Anyone Know How To Make Calamari, The Right Way?

I love, calamari! clean and slice and cook... http://www.aussiefishingtackl...

Me too, but made "wrong"...ya get the "rubber band" mistake...lol

I recently saw this on one of those cooking shows...to make the calamari more tender soak it in milk first. I haven't tried it, but that is the advice they gave. Good luck!

interesting, thanks!!

You are welcome!

Hey, I wish I'd thought about good ol' youtube. They have how-to videos on about everything!
Here's one of Many I found on calamari cooking steps. It leads right into others for the whole process...thanks!

Excellent! You can find out how to do just about anything!

Right.
And I remember making fried onion rings crispier by adding some corn starch to flour mixture too.

That is good to know! I really dislike soggy onion rings. :¬{ Thanks!

My husband has expressed his like for this dish. I've never made it before. But I would be willing to give it a try. If he behaves himself.

LOL..Lucky guy, but.I think he'd better with THAT Knife in your hand!!

My aim is good...no matter the weapon.

Cool...I wish I could order it over the phone!!

well, I guess you've never been to a chinese restaurant in rural Texas. The cities, maybe...but to have it delivered would cost an arm and leg.

Hey...ya been in these parts while in the Army, friend?

I like your method! ~)

The moister the squid, the tougher it gets. You've got to drain it completely after slicing. I love Giada DeLaurentiis' recipe ~ it's tried and true.


Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 pound clean squid with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rings
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1 cup simple tomato sauce, recipe follows or jarred marinara sauce, warmed

Directions

Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches, toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.


You can put the calamari in a colander after slicing, refrigerate, then place on paper towels after refrigeration. This removes all the moisture from the squid, making it more tender after cooking. You can also dip the calamari in beaten egg before the flour, making the flour stick a little better. Hope this helps!

That is Excellent!
Thank You!!

BTW, I'm not a fan of calamari so I have not tried it with cracker meal but I do know some restaurants use it. It's good if you want a lighter crispier type fried food. I use it on fish and shrimp.

thank you, very much

I usually use cracker meal for that type of seafood but you have to dip it in egg before coating, it comes out crisp. Girlygirl, Have you tried that with calamari?

No, only the seasoned flour. I'm going to have to try that! Sounds good!

but flour will stick to dry calamari?

It will, there's always going to be some inherent moisture in it. The problem with just the flour is that it can flake off after frying.

I have only done fish and shrimp that way and I saw you said the moister it is the tougher so I wasn't sure if using egg was a good idea? But it is a very light batter that way. Of course over cooking will make it tough too. They probably only take 3 minutes to fry like shrimp...?

right, cook fast, GirlyGirl?

Oh, yes!