For some reason, homemade calamari often comes out wrong. Here’s the secret so that never happens again.
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For some reason, homemade calamari often comes out wrong. Here’s the secret so that never happens again.
YIELDS
4 Servings
TO MAKE THE SAUCE
4 tbsp butter (melted )
1 clove garlic (crushed)
10 g parsley (chopped )
100 ml lemon juice (juice of two lemons)
1 tsp paprika
1 whole green chilli (chopped – optional)
FOR THE CALAMARI
500 g calamari (cleaned tubes and tentacles)
3 tbsp butter
1 large lemon (cut into wedges)
1 cup mayonnaise (to serve)
TO MAKE THE SAUCE
To make the sauce, place the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
FOR THE CALAMARI
Slice the calamari tubes in half and lightly score the inside. Make sure they are very dry and season well with salt and pepper.
Heat a little butter in a heavy-based frying pan until very hot. Using more butter as needed, sear the calamari in batches for about 2 minutes and set aside. (If you fry it all together it will release liquid and boil.)
Once you’ve seared all the calamari, return it to the pan and pour over the hot sauce. Let it cook in the sauce for a few minutes until soft.
Serve the calamari with fresh lemon wedges and mayo; add some interesting flavours to the mayo to spice it up.
Cook’s Tip
Get the pan smoking hot, flash fry the calamari, don’t crowd the pan. Get that right and this recipe is a breeze. Don’t forget the tentacles – they’re the tastiest bit.