Calamares

Ingredients

Measure and prepare everything before you begin cooking.

• 500 g cleaned squid tubes, sliced into 1 cm rings, plus tentacles if desired
• 90 g plain all-purpose flour
• 40 g cornflour (cornstarch)
• ½ tsp fine salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Neutral cooking oil for a 4 cm frying depth
• 80 ml cane vinegar or unsweetened rice vinegar for dip
• 40 ml water for dip
• ½ small red onion, finely diced
• 1 small chilli, sliced, optional
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp fine salt for dip

Instructions

1. 1

   Thaw frozen squid in the refrigerator if needed. Drain and pat it thoroughly dry, keeping it cold while making the dip. Mix vinegar, water, onion, optional chilli, sugar and the dip salt in a clean bowl.

2. 2

   Combine flour, cornflour, ½ teaspoon salt, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Place a wire rack over a tray for draining. This street-style version uses a light flour coating, without egg or breadcrumbs.

3. 3

   Heat the oil in a deep heavy pan to about 180°C, leaving the pan less than half full. Keep water away from the oil. Toss only one small batch of squid in the flour mixture, press lightly and shake off loose flour.

4. 4

   Lower the coated rings carefully into the oil. Fry for about 2–3 minutes, turning once, until the coating is pale golden and the squid is opaque and cooked through. Use 63°C as a thermometer check where practical; thickness affects time.

   

5. 5

   Lift onto the rack immediately. Let the oil return to temperature before coating and frying the next batch. Avoid extending frying just to get a dark coating, as squid quickly becomes tough.

6. 6

   Serve promptly with individual bowls of vinegar dip. The outside should be crisp and the squid tender rather than rubbery. Offer rice or another snack alongside; do not pour dip over the entire plate before serving.