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Fried Calamari - deep fried calamari recipe Italian style. Serve with tomato sauce as dipping sauce, this is the best recipe ever, extra crispy, easy and delicious!
Fried Calamari Recipe
Fried calamari is one of the most popular appetizers served in restaurants, especially Italian restaurants.
Crispy fried calamari is absolutely delicious and my homemade recipe is so easy to make.
The calamari is deep fried, extra crispy with a secret coating. It’s served with a simple tomato sauce as the dipping sauce.
This is the best fried calamari recipe ever!
Fried Calamari Ingredients
This recipe is very easy to make and calls for only a few ingredients:
- Cleaned squid with tentacles
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt and cayenne pepper
The squid has extra crispy coating and tender inside. There is no need for buttermilk.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Fried Calamari
Step 1. Cut the cleaned squid tubes into 1/2-inch (1 cm) rings.
Step 2. Transfer the squid rings to a large bowl, add a beaten egg, and stir to coat evenly.
Step 3. In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir until well mixed. Working in small batches, add a few squid rings to the flour mixture, ensuring they are thoroughly coated, then transfer them to a strainer. Repeat until all the squid rings are coated. Gently shake the strainer to remove any excess flour.
Step 4. Heat a skillet with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil over high heat. Once the oil is hot, deep-fry the squid until they turn light brown. Remove the squid from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Step 5. Garnish the squid with parsley and serve warm with tomato sauce.
Cooking Tips
For the best results, please follow the tips and techniques below:
- For even coating on the squid, use a strainer to shake off the excess flour.
- Drain the excess oil on the fried calamari on paper towels before serving.
- If you don’t have simple tomato sauce at home, you can use tomato based pasta sauce as the dipping sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Calamari is the Italian word for squid. In the United States, fried calamari is basically fried squid. It’s made of squid and its tentacles, battered or coated with a flour mixture and then deep fried.
For extra crispy fried squid, coat the calamari rings and tentacles with a mixture of all purpose flour and cornstarch. The ratio of all purpose flour and cornstarch is 2:1. Another secret ingredient is egg. Add a beaten egg to the squid before coating with the flour and cornstarch mixture. Make sure the coating is even. Shake off the excess coating before deep frying and you will have the best and crispiest fried squid.
For the best results, I don’t recommend pan frying. However, you can shallow fry the squid and get the same results. All you have to do is add some oil to a skillet, 1 inch high from the bottom of the skillet. Shallow fry the squid until golden brown. You can also use an air fryer for this recipe.
This recipe is only 306 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this dish with other Italian dishes. For a multi-course Italian meal at home, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
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Fried Calamari
Ingredients
- 8-12 oz (230g-350g) squid and tentacles, cleaned
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 4 oz (125g) all-purpose flour
- 2 oz (60g) cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 dashes cayenne pepper
- oil, for deep drying
- bottled tomato sauce, or pasta sauce, for dipping
- chopped parsley, for garnishing
Instructions
- Cut the cleaned squid tubes into 1/2-inch (1 cm) rings.
- Transfer the squid rings to a large bowl, add a beaten egg, and stir to coat evenly.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir until well mixed. Working in small batches, add a few squid rings to the flour mixture, ensuring they are thoroughly coated, then transfer them to a strainer. Repeat until all the squid rings are coated. Gently shake the strainer to remove any excess flour.
- Heat a skillet with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil over high heat. Once the oil is hot, deep-fry the squid until they turn light brown. Remove the squid from the oil and drain on paper towels.
- Garnish the squid with parsley and serve warm with tomato sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Bee,
My friend gave me a pack of frozen raw calamari. Do you think I can use it for this recipe? Your recipe looks amazing! Thanks!
Yes, I used frozen calamari, too. Just thaw and then use per the recipe.
Love your recipe
Thanks.
Can I use frozen cooked i
Shrimp instead of calamari
You can use shrimp but I don’t recommend frozen and cooked shrimp. Use raw shrimp.
Oh my goodness. So excited that I can make this at home!
This is such a great recipe. Thanks, Bee!
These are the perfect appetizer! Super easy, crispy and SO delicious!
Do you have to oil spray to air fry? I am not into deep frying. Thanks.
Yes you still need a little bit of oil before air frying.
This sounds delicious! How long and what temp do you use for the air fryer?
Hi Carrie, I am not sure because I didn’t use an air fryer.
Best recipe I found on the net!!!
Thank you very much!!!
This looks very good! Can I ask…when do you use the salt and cayenne pepper? Is that with the sauce or in the flour?
Hi Shawn, so sorry for the omissions, please check the updated recipe.
I don’t know how to buy squid. Can I buy frozen squid?
Yes you can.
Yes
Hi, many thanks for your kind sharing of great recipes you have!!!
May i ask please if i can omit the egg for the batter?
Thanks and have a nice weekend*:)
Ky
You can skip the eggs but won’t be as tender.
This dish looks yummy the way you make it. Also, it’s nice that there aren’t
a ton of items needed, thank you! Delicious….
Thanks Michelle, yes the fried calamari is very delicious.