I have lived in or around Providence, Rhode Island, my whole life, surrounded by its fresh seafood. Battered squid tossed with hot cherry peppers is a great representation of where I live and of my Italian roots. My family loves this recipe and has been making it for many generations.
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.