Crispy Semolina Fried Calamari with Marinara and Italian Salsa

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A regional-Italian-restaurant appetizer made genuinely doable at home: squid soaked in buttermilk, tossed in a semolina-and-flour dredge, and fried in a Dutch oven for barely 30 seconds so the rings stay tender. Zucchini coins, lemon slices and hot cherry peppers go into the same oil, and everything gets salted the second it leaves the pot. Serve with a fast skillet marinara and a bright caper-herb Italian salsa.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb cleaned squid, tubes and tentacles
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 cup fine semolina flour (semola rimacinata)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika

• 1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
• 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds, plus wedges for serving
• 1/2 cup pickled hot cherry peppers, halved and patted dry
• 12 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, patted very dry

• 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil
• fine sea salt, for salting straight out of the oil

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 14.5-oz can crushed San Marzano-style tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 3 leaves fresh basil

• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
• 1 celery rib, minced
• 2 Tbsp minced roasted red pepper
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Prep the squid: slice the tubes crosswise into 1/2-inch rings and cut any large tentacle clusters in half. Rinse under cold water, then drain well in a colander for 5 minutes. Whisk the buttermilk with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the garlic powder in a bowl, add the squid, and refrigerate 20 minutes to 1 hour (no longer, or the texture softens).
2. Make the marinara: heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium. Add the sliced garlic and pepper flakes and cook 60 to 90 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant and just barely golden. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and sugar, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes until slightly thickened. Tear in the basil, taste for salt, and keep warm off the heat.
3. Make the Italian salsa: stir together the parsley, capers, celery, roasted red pepper, shallot, vinegar, olive oil, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl. Let it sit at room temperature while you fry so the flavors marry.
4. Set up the fry station: pour the oil into a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven — it should come no more than 2 inches up the sides and leave at least 3 inches of clearance. Clip on a deep-fry thermometer and heat over medium-high to 375°F. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan next to the stove, along with a spider skimmer or slotted spoon and a bowl of fine sea salt.
5. Mix the dredge: whisk the semolina, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper and paprika in a wide shallow bowl or baking dish.
6. Fry the vegetables first: pat the zucchini coins, lemon rounds and cherry peppers very dry, then toss them (separately by type) in the dredge, shaking off the excess. Fry each type in a single loose layer for 60 to 90 seconds until pale gold and blistered, transferring to the rack and salting immediately. Carefully add the dry parsley sprigs for 10 seconds — they will sputter — and remove as soon as the bubbling calms.
7. Bring the oil back to 375°F. Lift about one-quarter of the squid out of the buttermilk with your fingers, letting the excess drip off, and drop it into the dredge. Toss firmly with your other hand until every piece is coated, then shake in a coarse sieve to knock off loose flour.
8. Fry the calamari in four small batches: slide each batch into the oil and fry just 30 to 40 seconds, stirring once with the spider, until the coating is set and barely blond — do not wait for deep brown or the squid will turn rubbery. Lift to the rack and salt immediately with fine sea salt. Let the oil return to 375°F between batches (about 1 minute) and dredge each batch only right before it goes in.
9. Pile the calamari and fried vegetables together on a warm platter, scatter the fried parsley over the top, and tuck in lemon wedges. Serve right away with the warm marinara and the Italian salsa alongside for spooning.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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