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Prep time
45 minutes
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Cook time
10 minutes
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Serves
6 to 8
Author Notes
Like all good recipes passed down in an Italian family, this calamari was dictated to me by my mother, over the phone, in the span of ten minutes. Much to her credit, she nailed it on the first pass, with just the timings and amounts left to me to tweak.
This is the calamari of my childhood, The Feast of the Seven Fishes Dinner. Christmas growing up, as you could imagine, was always a party. And, most of this calamari (truth be told) never even made it to the dinner table. It was devoured as fast as it was being fried by my sister and I—sneaking fresh hot pieces into our mouths next to the stove. The rest felled by the crowd of adults circling the counter while my mother opened another bottle of prosecco.
Christmas in our house was, and is, a reason to celebrate, not just for the well worn reasons, but as my mother says: we’ve all made it another year. So break out the nice wine, use the nice glasses, and make some calamari, because nothing quite says “it’s a party” like something deep fried. —Anna Billingskog
Ingredients
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2 pounds
calamari, cleaned and sliced into rings and tentacles separated
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2 cups
whole milk
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1/2 cup
all-purpose flour
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1/2 cup
cornmeal
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
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1 quart
neutral oil, for frying (plus more if needed)
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Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
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Rinse the calamari rings under cold water and drain them, shaking off any excess water. Place the calamari rings in a bowl and pour the milk over them. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes, this will help tenderize the calamari.
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In a shallow dish, mix together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes.
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In a heavy-bottomed pot, fitted with a thermometer, warm the vegetable oil to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towel, or a large plate to drain the calamari.
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In batches, remove the calamari rings from the milk, allowing any excess to drip off. Dredge the calamari in the flour-cornmeal mixture, ensuring it is evenly coated. Shake off any excess coating. (To keep your hands relatively clean, designate one hand for handling wet ingredients and the other for handling dry ingredients.)
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Carefully lower the coated calamari rings into the hot oil in batches using a spider or a large slotted spoon. Fry each batch for 2 to 3 minutes or until they turn golden brown and crispy. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan to maintain an even temperature of 350°F.
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Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried calamari from the oil and place them on the lined tray to drain any excess oil. Taste one warm calamari for seasoning and adjust with more salt, or pepper flakes.
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Serve the fried calamari hot with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the top.
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