Rhode Island–Style Fried Calamari
"Battered squid tossed with hot cherry peppers is a great representation of where I live, Rhode Island, and of my Italian roots," says home cook Dan Rinaldi. Home cook's tip: Instead of cutting the lemon into wedges, you can make 45-degree cuts all around each lemon to cut it in half, then dip the lemon halves into the parsley.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds large squid, cleaned, tubes sliced into 1-inch pieces and tentacles left whole
- 4 cups buttermilk
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (16-ounce) jar jar sliced banana peppers, drained
- 1 (16-ounce) jar hot cherry peppers, drained and 1½ tablespoons juice reserved
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups all-purpose batter mix, such as Fis-Chic
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- 3 lemons, cut into wedges (see tip in headnote)
- 1 (1 pound) package package mesclun mix
Instructions
- In a large bowl, soak the squid in the buttermilk for 20 minutes.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a deep fryer or large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat to 375 degrees F.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a deep fryer or large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat to 375 degrees F.
- Put the batter mix in a large bowl. Drain the squid and coat it in the batter mix.
- Working in batches as necessary, add the squid to the hot oil and fry for 3 minutes, seasoning with the black pepper while it fries.
- Transfer the calamari to paper towels, season with the salt, and let drain for 1 minute, then transfer to a large bowl. When all the calamari is done, quickly toss with the pepper mixture.
- Pour the calamari and peppers onto a platter, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges and mesclun mix.
Notes
Dan Rinaldi is a home cook and contestant on The Great American Recipe airing Friday's on PBS. Photos Courtesy of PBS/VPM.