Cajun Fried Calamari

Cajun Fried Calamari
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A Little Personal History:

One of my favorite seafood appetizers is lightly fried calamari. It only made sense to come up with a recipe I can make from home. As I like a bit spice, here’s what I came up with that’s got a little kick to it 🙂

Description:

Categories: Appetizer, Seafood
Servings: 4-6
Time: – Preparation: 15 minutes
– Marinade:       2 hours
– Cooking:         3 minutes
Equipment: Cutting board and scoring knife, 2 small bowls, 1 small mixing bowl, 1 medium mixing bowl, whisk, 2 large plastic baggies, large holding plate, large frying pot or skillet, large serving plate
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:

Procedure:

  1. Prepare parsley and lemon garnishes and set aside in small bowls.
  2. Win a thin sharp knife, separate calamari tubes from tentacles. Cut the calamari tubes along the sides to open flat. With knife, lightly score the insides, being careful not to cut through all the way.
  3. Prepare marinade in small bowl, adding hot pepper oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and 1 Tbs. Cajun Blast Seasoning. Whisk well.
  4. In a resealable bag, pour in marinade. Add the Calamari tubes and tentacles, toss to coat, and marinate for 2 hours in refrigerator, turning bag twice.
  5. In a medium mixing bowl, blend 6 Tbs. Cajun Blast Seasoning and flour. Whisk well.
  6. Add flour/spice blend into another resealable bag (no more than half full). Set aside.
  7. Transfer calamari from marinade to holding plate. Reserve marinade in small bowl if you want to turn into dipping sauce (saute in small saucepan with 1 Tbs. roux).
  8. Add enough calamari to flour/spice bag to allow you to seal and shake thoroughly till all calamari is covered with mixture. Individually remove, shaking off excess. Set aside on holding plate. Repeat as necessary.
  9. Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into large frying pot or skillet; heat to 350*F (if you don’t have a thermometer, medium heat is a good bet).
  10. Fry calamari in batches until golden. Drain on paper towels.
  11. Serve on large plate, sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon wedges and a variety of dipping sauces on side (see notes).

Advanced Preparation:

  • Steps 1 – 6 can be done day of event, covered and refrigerated till ready to fry.

Tips, Notes, and Variations: