Calamari Fritti

OK…this is really just Fried Calamari, but thought it sounded more elegant as Fritti! I’ve made this a couple times now and keep tweaking. Thanks to my good friend Brenna Reilly, I think I now have the soaking and flouring technique down. Next time I will add some Italian herbs-basil and oregano, a little garlic powder, dash of pepper flakes to the breading, and a squeeze of lemon juice to finish after frying. If served with a rich Marinara sauce, I can then actually call it Calamari Fritti!

No dipping sauce this time; just a simple coleslaw.

Ingredients:
1 lb. frozen calamari rings, thawed
Kosher salt, 1 tsp. More for seasoning after frying.
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten*
1 1/2 cups plain white flour**
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

*This is the new ingredient. The first time I made it without and as the calamari fried some of the batter slipped off. I thought the baking powder and cornstarch would be enough to hold it, but the egg made all the difference.

**You will have leftover batter, but it’s so convenient to have on-hand in your pantry for your next batch. 

Preparation:
In a medium bowl stir together 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup milk and the egg. Add the calamari. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. This milk-bath helps tenderize the calamari and also softens the flavor. Calamari is the Italian word for squid, and although milder than octopus, calamari’s cousin, it still can be a little strong.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, black pepper. Set a large colander in the sink. Using tongs, lift about 1/3 of the calamari’s out of the milk, shake them off and gently drop them into the flour mixture to thoroughly coat. Put them in the colander. Repeat with the rest of the calamari.

Turn your oven on low as you’ll want to keep the calamari warm as you fry in small batches. Prepare a large sheet pan and set a wire rack covered with a paper towel over the top. As each portion fries, remove to the sheet pan and keep warm in the oven.

Heat about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. The oil should heat to around 350 degrees. For best results, test the oils’ heat by dropping one calamari into the oil. If many bubbles form around it and it floats you can add more. You do not want to crowd the calamari as they fry as that can loosen or break off the batter. How many you add depends on the size of your pan.

You can use tongs to drop the calamari in. I used my fingers.

After about 3 minutes they should turn golden brown. Remove the calamari to the rack on the sheet pan. Liberally salt and pop into the oven. Repeat frying until all calamari are fried.