Fried Calamari and a Classic Spanish Sandwich

Fried calamari are a Mediterranean classic often enjoyed by people on their holidays. It is very easy to make them at home. All you need is squid, salt, flour, frying oil and lemon. If you are feeling fancy you can make it into a sandwich with some lettuce and aioli. 

This might be a hard sell for some of you but I would highly recommend you try this fried calamari recipe. I don’t know why but many people don’t like squid for which I blame the weird tentacles. Calamari actually doesn’t taste that fishy, I would even say that it doesn’t taste fishy at all. It is the chicken of the ocean. Therefore fried calamari is the fried chicken of the ocean, and who doesn’t like that? 

Bocadillo de Calamares (Fried Calamari Sandwich) 

A bocadillo de calamares fritos is a quite common sandwich you can get in Spain and I would highly recommend getting one at a local restaurant, once it is safe to travel again obviously. It is fried calamari piled really high on a small crusty baguette with a spritz of lemon juice. It is delicious. It is light yet filling. Here I served it with a sourdough discard pan-baked flatbread (recipe here) with some lettuce (because you need to eat vegetables) and a lemon aioli (recipe here) on the side. You can also serve it with a spicy mayonnaise. Even if we cannot go anywhere right now at least we can get a taste of Spain. 

Fried Calamari

Difficulty: 2/5 Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• calamari, cleaned and cut into hoops
• salt
• all-purpose flour*
• oil for frying
• lemon

Instructions:

1. Season the calamari hoops with salt and let them sit for a few minutes.
2. Bring some oil to 160°C. You want the calamari to swim.
3. Toss the hoops in flour, shake off the excess and fry them until golden and crispy.
4. Serve with a spritz of lemon.

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*Add some cornstarch to the flour for an even crispier exterior.

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Well, there you have an easy recipe for fried calamari. Food will probably be the only way we can travel for a little while longer but this way you can be somewhere else everyday. I will make this occasionally at home as calamari are not always easy to find, as they are in Spain. They certainly remind me of my childhood and visiting Spain. You won’t find this at a McDonalds, you have to visit a Spanish restaurant. Those sandwiches are really delicious, huge and usually quite cheap. The homemade version also hits the spot, especially with the bread and the aioli. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and have a great day. Stay safe and wear a mask!