Grilled Colima Calamari
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Author Notes: We bought a bunch of lovely-looking small calamari home over the weekend and then spent a lot of time staring at them, wondering what to do next. Fueled by the Spouse's batch of free-flowing margaritas created in honor of the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday, this recipe was named after a small state in Mexico where we once drank many margaritas. We might have even eaten some calamari there; if we did, it may have tasted something like this. - wssmom - wssmom
Food52 Review: What a lovely recipe! This earned a place on my summer meal rotation. The sweetness of the orange juice, the tart note of the lemon and the gentle heat of the ancho chili and cayenne pepper combined with the herbal cilantro make this a delicious dish. A brief stay on the grill produced tender calamari with a pleasant chew where the fire kissed the tentacles. Altogether, a winner in my book! - Frontalgirl - Frontalgirl
Serves 4
- 1 large garlic clove, smashed and minced
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- generous pinch of cayenne
- 1/4 cup olive oil, maybe a little more
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 pound cleaned small squid (three inches or so)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- Fire up your grill. Combine the garlic clove, orange juice, lemon juice, chili powder, cayenne and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil and toss in a small handful of the cilantro. Add the calamari and toss. Let set for 20 minutes or so or until the grill is super hot.
- Remove the calamari from the marinade. You can either use of those wire fish fillet basket contraptions for the grill, or you can double-skewer the squid bodies cross-wise, two or three at a time, so they don't curl up and fall into the fire. (If you decide to use wooden skewers, soak them first for 30 minutes). Either way, season the calamari with pepper and a bit more salt and grill them on one side for a couple of minutes, until some charring starts.
- Baste with some of the remaining marinade, flip over and grill another minute or so or until the second side looks as good as the first side. Pile onto a platter, spoon a bit of the marinade over if you like (we did) and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Squid or Octopus Recipe
Tags: barbecue, dairy-free, Easy, Entrees, gluten-free, light, lunch, savory, Summer
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about 2 years ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Oh, this tastes like summer even from your heavenly description! Wonderful, bright, well, summery flavors.
about 2 years ago wssmom
Even though it was only 55 degrees out, we ate them outside! Thanks!
about 2 years ago gingerroot
I love this, wssmom! I can almost taste the sweet-smoky-spicy flavors you have here. Thanks for a great recipe.
about 2 years ago wssmom
Thank you Gingerroot, and congratulations again on the win!!
about 2 years ago gingerroot
I love this, wssmom! I can almost taste the sweet-smoky-spicy flavors you have here. Thanks for a great recipe.
about 2 years ago pauljoseph
Very good recipe will try this
about 2 years ago wssmom
I would love to hear how you liked it, pauljoseph!
about 2 years ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Love your headnote almost as much as I love your flavor combinations, including the grilled notes!
about 2 years ago wssmom
I probably should add a margarita recipe with this LOL ...
about 2 years ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
From you, oh yeah!
about 2 years ago inpatskitchen
Well.. here's another one I must add to the squid book...sounds delicious! Can't wait to see!
about 2 years ago wssmom
I am astounded at the scope of recipes for this contest! Thanks!
about 2 years ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
This sounds really delicious - love the combo of citrus and chile. Hurry up with the photos already!
about 2 years ago wssmom
The citrus and chile are amazing together; next time might add some lime as well.
about 2 years ago wssmom
Photos to come soon!
about 2 years ago wssmom
Here is marinating photo. Was not quick enough to capture grilled calamari as it was eaten too quickly. Will make another batch tomorrow. :)
about 2 years ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Looks good to me!