Crispy Fried Calamari with Lemon-Garlic Mayo

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Tender rings of squid soaked in milk, tossed in a seasoned flour-and-cornstarch dredge, and deep-fried for 90 seconds until shatteringly crisp. Serve piled high with lemon wedges and a quick garlicky mayo — a seaside taverna plate you can pull off on a Friday night with twelve everyday ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cleaned squid, tubes sliced into 1/2-inch rings (tentacles too)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus more for finishing
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 6 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 whole lemon, cut into wedges

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated

Instructions

1. Stir the mayonnaise with the grated garlic, a squeeze of juice from one lemon wedge and a pinch of salt. Refrigerate until serving.
2. Pat the squid very dry with paper towels, then put it in a bowl with the milk and let it sit for 10 minutes while you set up. In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, oregano, garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper.
3. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot no more than one-third full — this leaves room for the bubbling when wet squid hits the oil. Clip on a thermometer and heat over medium until the oil reads 350F (175C). Safety note: never leave hot oil unattended, keep children and pets out of the kitchen, and keep a lid nearby to smother flames — never use water on an oil fire.
4. Lift a handful of squid from the milk, let the excess drip off, and toss it in the flour mixture until every piece is chalky-white. Shake off the loose flour in a sieve or your hands; excess flour burns and clouds the oil.
5. Fry in 4 small batches, about a quarter of the squid at a time, for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until pale golden and crisp. Do not crowd the pot and do not overcook — squid turns rubbery past 2 minutes. Lift out with a spider or slotted spoon onto a wire rack set over a tray.
6. Let the oil come back to 350F (175C) between batches, about 1 minute, dredging the next handful only just before it goes in.
7. Season the hot calamari with a pinch of salt, pile onto a platter with the lemon wedges, and serve immediately with the lemon-garlic mayo. Cool the oil completely before straining and discarding or storing.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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