Who knew how easy calamari was to prepare? I promise you I’m not going to sugarcoat this post, I’m going to give it to you straight. Buttermilk battered fried calamari is really, really east to make.
Talking about good! This buttermilk battered calamari is downright delicious. Oh my goodness, they are crispy, flaky, crunchy, light pieces of goodness. The key is to eat them while they are hot because calamari has a tendency to get rubbery as they cool.
While shopping at my local grocer, I came upon pre-cleaned calamari (squid). I almost jumped for joy when I saw the frozen packages of calamari. Girlfriend was not interested in breaking down squid to make calamari. Years ago in my youth, I took on that task. Trust and believe, preparing squid for calamari is not a pretty task.
How To Fry Calamari
Calamari can be really easy to prepare. If you can fry food you can make calamari at home. Believe me, it’s not as intimidating as you might think. Make sure you have a sturdy utensil to fry the buttermilk battered fried calamari in. Something like a Dutch oven, cast iron skillet, or a deep fryer works best. If you are not sure of temperature, use a cooking thermometer to heat the vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees.
- In a shallow dish make a buttermilk dredge consisting of paprika, garlic powder, and a pinch of seafood seasoning. In another dish make a seasoned dry dredge consisting of rice flour (all-purpose flour), baking powder, and salt.
- Wash and clean the calamari. Pat dry. Cut the calamari into 1/2-inch rings.
- Allow the calamari to marinate for 30 minutes in the buttermilk mixture. This helps to tenderize the calamari.
- Dredge the calamari in the buttermilk mixture, then the flour dredge. Coat all sides of the calamari. Shake off the excess flour.
- Fry a few calamari at a time, being careful to not over-crowd the pan (if you overcrowd the pan the calamari won’t crisp up). Cook the calamari until browned on all sides between 2 to 3 minutes. Allow them to drain on paper towels. The key to having delicious calamari is not to overcook them. Overcooking calamari tends to make it tough.
Calamari is best served hot! Serve with marinara sauce, or your favorite yum yum sauce along with lemon wedges, and enjoy! Once you make your own buttermilk battered fried calamari you will always prefer your calamari over some restaurants.
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- 1 pound cleaned calamari, cut into ½ inch rings
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup rice flour (all-purpose flour)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
- Marinara sauce or yum yum sauce, lemon wedges served along as a condiment, optional
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven (cast iron skillet, or deep fryer) to 375 degrees
- Pour buttermilk into a shallow dish consisting of paprika, garlic powder, and seafood seasoning.
- Wash and clean the calamari. Pat dry. Cut the calamari into ½-inch rings.
- Allow the calamari to marinate for 30 minutes in the buttermilk mixture. This helps to tenderize the calamari.
- In another dish make a seasoned dry dredge consisting of rice flour (all-purpose flour), baking powder, and salt.
- Take the calamari out of the buttermilk mixture.
- Coat the calamari in the flour dredge. Coat all sides of the calamari. Shake off the excess flour.
- Fry a few calamari at a time, being careful to not over-crowd the pan (if you overcrowd the pan the calamari won't crisp up).
- Cook the calamari until browned on all sides between 2 to 3 minutes. Allow them to drain on paper towels.
- Serve Immediately!
