Easy Calamari Recipe

Every time we order calamari at a restaurant, I am surprised at how fast it reaches the table, still hot and crunchy outside and soft in the middle. Calamari is squid, usually sliced into rings, coated in seasoned flour or batter and fried quickly until the coating turns light and crisp. In the Philippines the same dish is called calamares, and the biggest difference is what sits in the dipping bowl beside it. You do not need to go out for this one. Once the squid has soaked, the actual cooking takes about ten minutes.

The main worry with squid is that it will come out rubbery. It tightens up fast, and once that happens, more time in the oil only makes it worse. What I do is soak the rings in fresh milk for at least 3 hours, and overnight when I have the time. You can feel the difference in the rings before they even go into the flour.

The other half of it is the frying. Two minutes in hot oil is enough. Take the rings out while the coating is still light golden rather than deep brown, and keep each batch small so the oil temperature does not drop. Past that point the rings go tough, and no amount of good coating will hide it.

What Is Calamari?

Calamari is squid, most often sliced into rings, coated, and deep fried until crisp. The name comes from the Italian calamaro, which traces back to the Latin calamarium, meaning ink pot, a reference to the ink sac inside the squid. On a menu the word almost always means the fried version, though the same squid is also grilled, stewed, and stuffed all around the Mediterranean coast.

Fried squid has long been served in Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal, usually as a small plate before the meal. It became a standard American restaurant appetizer much later, in the second half of the twentieth century, and many people in the United States know it as a basket of rings with marinara on the side. Calamares also became part of Filipino cooking through Spanish influence and is often served as pulutan, the food you put on the table when people are sitting around talking over drinks.

The Filipino version is usually breaded a little heavier and served with spiced vinegar or toyomansi instead of a tomato sauce, and the dip is one of the clearest differences between the two. In Filipino homes it usually shows up the same way it does in a restaurant, on a plate in the middle of the table with lemon wedges and a bowl of vinegar, and it rarely lasts long enough to get cold.

Ingredients

• Calamari rings – Frozen rings from the seafood section are what I use most of the time, and they save you the cleaning. Fresh squid works just as well if you clean it and slice it crosswise into rings about half an inch thick.
• Fresh milk – Enough to cover the rings completely in the bowl. Whole milk is fine, and the soak matters more than the brand. No fresh milk on hand? See the substitutions below.
• All-purpose flour – Plain flour on its own gives a thin, light crust rather than a thick batter shell, which is what you want for rings this small.
• Salt – About a teaspoon and a half for the flour mixture. Season the coating properly, since the squid itself picks up almost nothing from the milk.
• Garlic powder – Use the powder here, not fresh garlic. Fresh garlic burns in two minutes of hot oil and turns bitter.
• Dried parsley flakes – These are for color and a light herby note in the crust. Dried oregano works if that is what is in the cabinet.
• Cooking oil – Enough for a proper deep fry. Any neutral oil is fine.
• Lemon wedges – Squeeze them over the calamari right at the table, not earlier, so the coating stays crisp.

A word on the milk, since it is the one ingredient that decides how this turns out. The long soak helps soften the squid, which is why I give it at least 3 hours. A reader once asked me if evaporated milk could work instead. It does, and you can use the same amount. Keep the bowl in the refrigerator the whole time, never on the counter.

Making calamari is straightforward, but the soaking takes longer than the cooking. Start it in the morning or the night before, and the rest is a ten-minute job.

1. Place the calamari rings in a bowl and pour in enough fresh milk to cover them completely.
2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Overnight is better if you can plan for it. If you are working with frozen rings, thaw them fully in the refrigerator first, then pour the milk over them.

1. Combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, and dried parsley flakes in a wide bowl and mix well.
2. Heat the cooking oil in a deep pot or wok.

The oil is ready when a pinch of the flour mixture sizzles the moment it touches the surface. This is usually between 350°F and 375°F. A wide bowl for the flour makes the dredging much faster than a deep one.

1. Drain the calamari and let the excess milk drip off.
2. Coat each ring completely in the flour mixture, then gently shake off the extra flour.
3. Fry the calamari in batches for about 2 minutes, or until the coating turns light golden brown.
4. Lift the rings out with a kitchen spider or slotted spoon as soon as they reach that color.

Lower the rings into the oil carefully rather than dropping them in, since any milk still clinging to them will make the oil spit. Take them out while the coating is light golden, because it keeps cooking for a few seconds after it leaves the pot and will darken a little on the rack.

1. Let the excess oil drain on a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels.
2. Transfer to a serving plate and serve right away with lemon wedges.

Serve it while it is still hot, because the coating softens as it sits. If you are frying several batches, keep the finished ones on the rack in a warm oven with the door slightly open rather than stacking them on a covered plate.

What to Serve with Calamari

• Tartar Sauce – The creamy, tangy dip most American restaurants send out with fried seafood.
• Marinara Sauce – The tomato-based dip commonly served with calamari in Italian-American restaurants.
• Asian Dipping Sauce – Soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, close to the toyomansi that goes with calamares back home.
• Garlic Fried Rice – Turns the appetizer into an actual meal, which is how we usually end up eating it.
• Butter Garlic Shrimp and Squid – Put both on the table when you want a seafood spread instead of a single plate.

Storage

Calamari is at its best in the first few minutes, but leftovers keep well enough if you store them properly and warm them the right way.

• Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Let them cool completely first, since trapped steam softens the coating overnight.
• Freezer: I would not freeze it after frying, because the coating separates when it thaws. Freeze the raw squid instead and soak it in milk after thawing.
• Reheating: Use an oven or air fryer at around 375°F for 3 to 5 minutes, just until it crisps again. Skip the microwave, which turns the coating soft and the squid chewy.

More Filipino Seafood Recipes

• Adobong Pusit – Squid simmered in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, with the ink stirred back in.
• Squid Sisig – Chopped squid on a sizzling plate, another pulutan that disappears fast.
• Rellenong Pusit – Whole squid stuffed with a savory filling for a more substantial meal.
• Ginataang Pusit – The coconut milk version, rich and mild instead of sharp.
• Squid Stir-Fry in Oyster Sauce – A quick weeknight version that uses the same short cooking rule.
• Mixed Seafood in Coconut Milk – Shrimp, fish, and squid all in one pot.
• Camaron Rebosado – Battered fried shrimp, the dish I make when calamari alone is not enough for the table.

• Fresh milk – Evaporated milk can be used in the same amount. Buttermilk is the next best option. Use the same amount and soak the squid for 3 hours.
• Calamari rings – Whole fresh squid, cleaned and sliced crosswise into rings about half an inch thick. Keep the tentacles and fry them alongside the rings.
• All-purpose flour – Replace a third of it with cornstarch for a lighter, crunchier crust. Rice flour does something similar.
• Garlic powder – Onion powder if that is what you have, or leave it out and add a little more salt.
• Dried parsley flakes – Dried oregano, or a small spoon of paprika for color and a bit of warmth.
• Lemon wedges – Calamansi, which is sharper and closer to how calamares is served in the Philippines.

Once the squid has finished soaking, fry the calamari for about two minutes and serve it right away with lemon wedges and your favorite dip.