Crispy Fried Calamari with Lemon Aioli

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Tender rings and tentacles soaked in buttermilk, tossed in a semolina-and-flour dredge, and fried in small batches for barely 30 seconds each so they stay sweet and snappy instead of rubbery. A Dutch oven keeps the oil deep, stable and contained, and an immediate hit of fine salt out of the fryer is what makes it taste like the $18 appetizer version.

Ingredients

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

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fine semolina flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, for finishing
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 lemon, sliced paper-thin (optional, for frying)

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the squid bodies crosswise into 1/2-inch rings and leave the tentacle clusters whole, halving any that are larger than a golf ball. Pat everything very dry on paper towels — surface water is what makes calamari steam instead of crisp.
2. In a bowl, whisk the buttermilk with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the garlic powder. Add the squid, stir to coat, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). The mild acidity tenderizes and the buttermilk gives the dredge something to grab.
3. Make the aioli: stir the mayonnaise, grated garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of cayenne together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Pour the oil into a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven — it should come up about 2 1/2 inches and leave at least 3 inches of clearance at the top. Clip on a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer and heat over medium-high to 370°F, which takes about 12 minutes. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan beside the stove.
5. Whisk the all-purpose flour, semolina, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper and cayenne in a wide bowl or shallow baking dish.
6. Lift about one-quarter of the squid out of the buttermilk with a slotted spoon, letting the excess drip off for a few seconds, then drop it into the dredge. Toss with your fingers, pressing the coating on, then shake in a coarse sieve or your hands to knock off loose flour.
7. Slide the coated batch into the 370°F oil, stirring once immediately with a spider or slotted spoon so nothing sticks. Fry just 30 to 45 seconds — the coating should be pale blond and set, not deep brown. Any longer and the squid tightens up.
8. Lift the calamari to the wire rack and salt it with fine sea salt the instant it comes out, while the surface is still glossy with oil so the salt sticks. Let the oil climb back to 370°F, about 1 minute, before the next batch. Dredge each batch only right before it fries.
9. If using, toss the paper-thin lemon slices in the leftover dredge and fry them for 45 seconds with the last batch; they turn sweet, chewy and slightly bitter.
10. Pile the calamari on a platter, scatter the parsley and fried lemon over the top, and serve immediately with the lemon aioli and fresh lemon wedges. Fried calamari has about a 5-minute window at its best — get it to the table hot.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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