I have an instinctual attraction to calamari. I feel like, even before the bright lights, the glitz and the glamour of the blogosphere, I shared quite a bit with the steadfast generalissimo of the appetizer menu: although chunky and not too much to look at, we've earned our keep with style, flavah, and panache. And we're both heart-stoppers; Calamari, in the deep-fried goodness, cardiac arrest sense of the term, and I, the lady-killing compliment. As such, I am a calamarian. Since the "I don't know quoi" of Calamari is more easily achieved than Baronial grandeur, I'll limit my comments today to the famous fired squid.
Start with the tube and tentacles of a squid, cleaned and dried. You want to make sure you pat out whatever liquid is in the meat before frying, so as to avoid splatter. To bread the squid, slice into one inch segments and drench them in seasoned flour (which is just flour with salt and pepper). Then plunge them into peanut or canola oil at around 360-370 degrees. Give them the spa treatment for only about two minutes, until lightly colored, and then pull them out with a slotted spoon, tongs or wooden chopsticks. Let them adjust their tuxedoes on a paper towel before service.
Fried foods generally, and calamari in particular, scream out for some sort of condiment or sauce. The easiest is just some salt and lemon juice. Better yet, though, is cocktail sauce.
Start with a couple of chopped and seeded tomatoes in a food processor or blender. Add some white wine, balsamic, wasabi, and salt and pepper. Blend, then reduce the excess liquid on the stove. Garnish with lemon, serve with the calamari, and you're on your way to being a true calamarian.
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