Crispy Fried Calamari (Squid Fry)

- Submitted by Dahlia

(Deep Fried Squid Rings, Calamari Fry, Kanava Fry, Koonthal Fry)

Crispy fried calamari rings are an amazing snack that is served as an appetizer in restaurants in all western countries. It can be made very quickly using very few basic ingredients.

Calamari, also known as squid is a favorite dish among seafood lovers. It has a meaty texture. It remains tender when cooked just right but turns rubbery when over cooked. In South India squid fry is made in a different way with a mix of various spices. I will share the recipe later. The fried calamari made by the westerners is mild in flavor and very crispy. The tender rings are coated with flour and deep fried. I have just added a little red chili powder to suit to my spicy taste buds. You may skip it and enjoy plain fried calamari.

The traditional calamari fry is made with the rings. The tubular body of the calamari can be easily cut into rings which makes the final dish very interesting. Kids love to put it in their fingers and enjoy. In our family, we also enjoy eating the head of the calamari. The head has tentacles which might be scary to many but believe me it tastes awesome. I have also used the head for this dish but feel free to just use the rings.

I guess I have gives a lot of intro. Now let's get to the recipe.

Recipe for Crispy Fried Calamari

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• Calamari (Squid) - 1 lb (app. 1/2 kg)
• All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 1/2 cup
• Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp (optional)
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - for deep frying

Method 

1. Clean the calamari and cut into rings.
2. Take the oil in a kadai or frying pan and heat it.
3. Take the all purpose flour in a bowl. Mix salt, freshly ground black pepper and red chili powder with the flour. Red chili powder is not traditionally added to the flour. I just added it to make it little spicy.
4. Add the calamari rings and toss it until the rings are completely coated with the flour.
5. Once the oil is hot, take the rings and drop them one by one.
6. Fry for 3-5 minutes until it turns slightly brown and crispy.
7. Remove the rings and drain the excess oil in a paper towel. Enjoy!

Serving Fried Calamari

• Serve these crispy rings as soon as it comes out of the hot oil for the best taste. 
• It goes well with some tomato sauce or chili sauce. Enjoy these as an evening snack with tea.
• It can also be served as a side dish with rice. It goes well with Squid Biryani.

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