# Calamari



## goboenomo (Aug 22, 2006)

It is my favorite food ever!
I think I saw it in a grocery store once
If I were to get some, does anybody know a recipe for a batter for it?


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## Andy M. (Aug 22, 2006)

So you like it battered and fried? Have you ever stuffed it?


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## goboenomo (Aug 22, 2006)

No i've never stuffed it
I've only had it at The Keg, Casey's, and Shoeless Joe's
The Keg and Casey's cut theirs into rings (so a normal cut) and put a nice batter on it. And Shoeless Joe's juliennes theirs and uses this batter that has a nice little kick to it.

I've seen calamari stuffed with garlic on this garlic cook off on Food Network Canada
but what else can you stuff it with?


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## Andy M. (Aug 22, 2006)

I have a recipe from an old relative that I made for him once that stuffs the squid with breadcrumbs, romano cheese and shrimp.  It's served with marinara sauce.


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## goboenomo (Aug 22, 2006)

oooo
that sounds great
i just dont know where i can get calamari around here


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## Andy M. (Aug 22, 2006)

Where in Canada are you?

If you're working at a restaurant, you may be able to get some from a supplier.


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## goboenomo (Aug 22, 2006)

I'm from Oshawa Ontario which is about an hour from Toronto (our capital)

The restaurant I work at is called Montanas Cookhouse and we do not serve calamari at all. I wish we did so I could get a 50% discount when I'm working.


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## Andy M. (Aug 22, 2006)

Do you serve seafood? A seafood vendor could get calamari for you.

Also, you're not that far from Toronto. There must be good seafood sources there.


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## goboenomo (Aug 22, 2006)

Well we do serve shrimp and fish.
As for getting to toronto, I don't drive.


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## buckytom (Aug 22, 2006)

calamari fritti (fried) and calamari imbotiti (stuffed) are 2 good ways to prepare squid. 

marinara or fra diavolo are also popular. or you can combine a few techniques, and serve breaded fried calamari over sauced pasta. i've seen this called "ny style", but i think that was somewhere on a vacation. ny'ers eat squid lotsa different ways.

my favourite way happens to be thai. flash grilled on skewers, then served on a bed of lettuce, and topped with jullienned carrots and red cabbage, chopped fresh cilantro, and sweet chili sauce.


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## goboenomo (Aug 22, 2006)

hmmm
marinara or fra diavolo??

i'm not a fan oh Thai personally


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## CookBrian (Aug 23, 2006)

Battered is the best way to eat Calamari.. love it!


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## Gretchen (Aug 23, 2006)

Look in the frozen food seafood counter for squid.
Just cut into rings, lightly flour and fry in deep fat for 30 seconds.


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## Aurora (Aug 23, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> oooo
> that sounds great
> i just dont know where i can get calamari around here


 
I live near Sacramento, California and most supermarkets do not carry fresh calamari but most have it in the freezer section.  I find it frozen in boxes of about 3 to 4 lbs. uncleaned in the frozen fish section (same place as frozen fish sticks and crab cakes).  Thaw it, clean it and cook it.

It's one of my top favorite foods also.


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## lulu (Aug 23, 2006)

I like it with a light beer batter....light lager and flour or, een lighter, corn flour...

There is a fish stall near where we are living in Milan that is still closed for the summer but I see they have calamari fritti which I can't wait to have.


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 23, 2006)

I LOVE calamari & cook it frequently.  Believe it or not, our local Wal-Mart carries the really tiny (like 3" long) ones, which are FABULOUS sauteed & added to spicy pasta sauce, cream pasta sauce, or used in Thai & Vietnamese stirfries.

As far as frying them, Mario Batalli did a show where he said they're never batter-dipped in Italy when served fried, but rather just dusted with cornstarch, then fried quickly in olive oil, & served with nothing but squeezes of fresh lemon juice.  I've tried this method & it's MUCH better than the battered stuff you get at restaurants.


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## ChefJune (Aug 23, 2006)

> I've seen calamari stuffed with garlic on this garlic cook off on Food Network Canada
> but what else can you stuff it with?


I stuff it with spinach and garlic and grill it for 2 minutes on each side!


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## Harborwitch (Aug 23, 2006)

Trader Joes and Safeway frequently have calamari steaks.  The steaks are usually tenderized and can be cut into strips.  If my Joy of Cooking wasn't in storage I'd post the lemon egg batter from Joy, it is awesome on calamari steaks.  

I like the rings in a beer batter or just a tempura batter.


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## goboenomo (Aug 23, 2006)

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> I LOVE calamari & cook it frequently. Believe it or not, our local Wal-Mart carries the really tiny (like 3" long) ones, which are FABULOUS sauteed & added to spicy pasta sauce, cream pasta sauce, or used in Thai & Vietnamese stirfries.
> 
> As far as frying them, Mario Batalli did a show where he said they're never batter-dipped in Italy when served fried, but rather just dusted with cornstarch, then fried quickly in olive oil, & served with nothing but squeezes of fresh lemon juice. I've tried this method & it's MUCH better than the battered stuff you get at restaurants.


 

Ooo i'll have to look for that
There is a wal mart just up the street

i dont have a deep fryer
but if i covered them in flour and put them in some vegetable oil on high... would that work?


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## Ishbel (Aug 23, 2006)

Do a 'search' from the bar at the top of the page. I posted a Delia Smith recipe for tempura batter a while ago.  Absolutely fool-proof.


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## goboenomo (Aug 23, 2006)

ok
thanks


looking forward to it


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## Gretchen (Aug 23, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> Ooo i'll have to look for that
> There is a wal mart just up the street
> 
> i dont have a deep fryer
> but if i covered them in flour and put them in some vegetable oil on high... would that work?


 
That is what I do (as I posted). Just dust them and cook VERY quickly in oil, but it has to be VERY hot and an inch or more deep.  If you cook them too long they will be rubbery.
"steaks" are just the bodies and they are really good too.


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## goboenomo (Aug 23, 2006)

Well I would have put it on the highest temperature.
Duel-High
And I would say about... 45 seconds to a minute in it?


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## Constance (Aug 23, 2006)

I like fried calamari, too, but the best squid I've ever had was at Jimmy Buffet's in New Orleans. It was stir-fried, I guess, with strips of multicolored sweet and hot peppers...very spicy. It was in a translucent sauce of some kind...probably thickened with cornstarch. 
My memory is not all that clear. We started out that morning with beer and oysters on the half-shell, had some mighty right gumbo, moved on to hurricanes, went back to our room at the Bourbon Orleans and cleaned up, then more beer at an hors d'ouevre bar, shopping, bar-hopping, and finally Jimmy's Perfect Margarita. By the time I got to the calamari, everything was a little bit fuzzy.


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## Gorgonzola (Aug 23, 2006)

I just love Calamari! I think the most enjoyable way I eat it is Calamari Fra Diavlo over Linguini. I add capers to the recipe. Also It's kind of neat if you can get Black Linguini (colored with squid ink) and add just a handfull to the regular linguini it creates a ultra contrasting visual when plated.


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## TATTRAT (Aug 23, 2006)

remember, cook hot and fast! It will turn to rubber on you quick fast. I like dredging mine in a mix of egg white and corn starch(1T starch to 1 egg white), salt and white pepper( a little lime zest is nice too) and pan fry in peanut oil. Accompany with sweet thai chili sauce and some cilantro.


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## goboenomo (Aug 23, 2006)

Sounds good
ill try it some day


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## lulu (Aug 24, 2006)

Regarding the deep fryer, I hae NEVER had one, and manage to cook most things I want without it.  Calamari in a frying pan is fine.....as they are thin rings you want to cook you can easily cover them with oil.

Doughnuts I have done, but that was harder, lol.

I do recommend having a soaked towel nearby.  Just in case.  In my experience having it ready means I don't need it.....not having it there has resulted in some near misses!

Any time I use "serious oil" rather than a bottom coating splash, I hae a towel ready!


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## goboenomo (Aug 24, 2006)

Alright.
I would still like to have a deep fryer. 
That would be nice.
I'd like to make doughnuts, that would be wicked!


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## ChefJune (Aug 24, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> hmmm
> marinara or fra diavolo??
> 
> i'm not a fan oh Thai personally


Gobo, neither Marinara nor Fra Diavolo have anything to do with Thai food... both are Italian.

My personal favorite way to cook squid/calamari is grilled, whether on a traditional grill or on a flattop -- altho I _love_ perfectly fried calamari with only fresh lemon for a splash.


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## goboenomo (Aug 24, 2006)

Nono
I was asking what those 2 were

Thai style calamari had been mentioned
and I don't like Thai


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## attie (Aug 24, 2006)

Gretchen said:
			
		

> That is what I do (as I posted). Just dust them and cook VERY quickly in oil, but it has to be VERY hot and an inch or more deep. If you cook them too long they will be rubbery.
> "steaks" are just the bodies and they are really good too.


I marinate my squid tubes in Kiwi Fruit to tenderise them. My method is to use 6 large fruit per 5kg block by mulching them in a food processor then paint the tubes while they're frozen, store in the fridge overnight to thaw, wash well before using. Of late I have been using fresh pineapple with the same result.


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## goboenomo (Aug 24, 2006)

wow
in kiwi you say
hmmmmm
sweet and rubbery...


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## attie (Aug 25, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> wow
> in kiwi you say
> hmmmmm
> sweet and rubbery...


Doesn't influence the flavour in anyway and it sure isn't rubbery. Give it a go, you just might be surprised.


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## Sugarcreations (Aug 25, 2006)

Soak in buttermilk, dredge in flour and deep fry at about 360 to 370 degrees.

Rgds Sugarcreations


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## goboenomo (Aug 25, 2006)

Now that i've got about a hundred different ideas, i'll have to check Wal-Mart to see if they sell it!
Ten ill make it and make my girlfriend try some!
Hahaha she's too picky, she wont even touch it.


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## Sugarcreations (Aug 25, 2006)

Good Luck finding it at Wal-mart. 

Rgds Sugarcreations


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## goboenomo (Aug 25, 2006)

I was told i could find some there.
Not the calamari steaks, but the cut rings.
Ill try a few breaded recipes and frying it in oil.


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## lulu (Aug 26, 2006)

Just as BreezyCooking said, the calamari my husband ate in a restaurant today had just been dipped in corn flour before being fried....and it was very good.  Rivalled but did not beat a light tempura or a light beer batter!   And I know it was my husband's plate, but what s the point of ordering different things unless you taste, huh?!


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## Steve A (Aug 26, 2006)

Take the Go Train or VIA into BigSmoke. Get off in Kensington area. Head right into one of the four (city-wide) Chinatowns. SHOP!

As for recipes.. .there's no wrong or right one. The trick with calamari is 3 minutes or less or 30 minutes or more. Stuffed, you asked?? Well, there's sausage stuffed baked calamari that rocks. And no, you won't find it in most restaurants. Not Kelseys, Montanas, Shoeless Joes, et al. You MIGHT, however, find it at Susur Lee's (restaurant in TO)

Go Leafs, eh?! (A former Trentonian)
Ciao,


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## goboenomo (Aug 26, 2006)

Oooo very nice!
Hmm i think i would use octoberfest saucegages in mine
Man! So many ideas!
I told my manager today we should serve calamari, she said Yuck....


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