Crispy Fried Calamari Squid Rings

Love seafood? Go check out our whole baked sea bass and fried fresh anchovies too. You might also want to see our side dishes for seafood.

Today, we will have a look at exactly how to prepare squid and make the best fried calamari recipe in a few steps. 

Why We Like This Recipe

These squid rings are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside thanks to the tenderizing technique we use. They aren't rubbery or chewy at all!

• They are a perfect starter/appetizer.
• This homemade calamari recipe is much more budget-friendly than when buying them at a restaurant. The restaurant portions are too small, never enough for us. But we can eat as many as we want when we make it at home.
• And, this recipe is incredibly easy to make! You only need a few basic ingredients, all of which can be substituted if you want to. 
• This is a gluten-free recipe as the coating is without flour.  You just need cornmeal and salt.

What is Calamari?

Calamari is the term used to refer to squid, which is an Italian word. So essentially, the terms are interchangeable in the culinary world. Squid are cephalopods that have elongated bodies with two tentacles and eight arms. They are in the shellfish category. Once the entrails are removed, all parts of a squid are edible.

These creatures have been used in several cuisines. And, they are incredibly versatile. Deep fried calamari rings are so popular in Turkish and Greek style seafood restaurants. You might see grilled calamari dishes or risotto and paella dishes with calamari in Italian and Spanish cuisines. 

In Turkish cuisine, calamari is called "kalamar" and is exceptionally a popular starter or mezze at fish restaurants along the coast of the country. It can be served alongside a traditional Turkish-style tarator dipping sauce made with mayo, yogurt, and garlic. It is known as the best sauce for fried calamari. You can find the recipe in the notes right below the recipe in the recipe card.

Ingredients

We really don't need many ingredients to make the best fried calamari rings. They can be put under 3 categories.

Squid Rings:

For this Mediterranean fried calamari recipe, we use fresh whole squids. It is really easy to slice them in rings and tentacles. To ensure you choose the freshest possible squid, make sure there aren't any blemishes or foul smells. However, you can also use frozen squid rings.

Marinade:

• Baking soda: Baking soda is a very handy ingredient that helps to tenderize the squid. But you have to use it alongside an acidic ingredient (like lemon juice) to make it activate.
• Lemon juice: We use lemon juice as our acidic ingredient to activate the baking soda. Without it, your squid won’t become that tender. The lemon juice also doesn’t affect the flavor of the squid, but helps remove the fish smell if there is any.
• Mineral water: Always use sparkling mineral water when tenderizing calamari. The carbon dioxide aids the baking soda and lemon juice.

Coating:

• Cornmeal: Cornmeal makes the best coating for calamari. There is no batter here. It is a coating without egg or flour. Cornmeal helps squid rings become super crispy once fried. If you cannot find any, substitute it with breadcrumbs, panko or semolina. Or use this flour mixture: 1 cup all-purpose flour or rice flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ cup cornstarch. 
• Seasoning: We only use salt to season calamari rings. You can add some spices like black pepper, paprika and onion or garlic powder if you want. Just sprinkle them over cornmeal, mix well and coat the calamari rings with this mixture.

How to Prepare Squid

If you are making calamari rings using whole fresh squids, you first have to clean and slice them. Fishmongers often clean them for you, but if you want you can learn how to clean squid in a few easy steps.

You have to remove the head and innards from the body. You are going to be using the tail tube to make calamari rings. Remove the cuttlebone and skin membrane from the tube. Then, you can give it another final rinse to ensure it's completely clean.

Finally, slice each tube into 2 cm (0.75-inch) thick rings. Place them all in a large bowl. Do not throw away the cleaned tentacles. Just put them in the bowl too!

If you are using frozen calamari rings, you won’t bother cleaning or slicing them. But you will still need to tenderize them. Read on to learn how.

How to Marinate / Tenderize Calamari Rings

You have to tenderize these squid rings before cooking. That's what makes them so soft and juicy! Nobody likes chewy and tough calamari!

Our method contains no dairy (no buttermilk or milk). To tenderize the squid rings, we like to sprinkle baking soda and squeeze lemon over them. Then, massage the rings for a couple of minutes.

Add in the mineral water (sparkling) and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the rings to marinate and tenderize in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While this technique works the best for us, there are some other tenderizing methods you can try. Here are two of them:

• Milk: Combine ½ cup milk with 1 teaspoon salt. Soak calamari rings in this salted milk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  
• Buttermilk: Combine buttermilk and calamari rings in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The acidity of buttermilk will help tenderize the rings, just like the salt does in salted milk. And, buttermilk also adds some flavor.

How to Fry

Making these deep fried calamari rings are incredibly easy to make. After tenderizing, it takes less than 30 minutes to serve.   

1. Put some cornmeal on a piece of baking paper, sprinkle salt on it and mix well. 
2. Remove the marinated squid rings from the mineral water and immediately dredge them in cornmeal. 

3. Heat your frying oil in a deep-fryer or in a large saucepan over medium high heat to 350-375°F (180-190°C). 
4. Add 8-10 pieces of squid rings into the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes or until they become golden brown and crispy. Once crispy, remove the rings from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on paper towels. Repeat until all the rings are done.
5. To keep the fried calamari batches warm, you can use the oven method. Preheat the oven 150 degrees F / 65 degrees C. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and put some paper towel on it. Transfer the fried batch of calamari rings onto this wire rack and put them in the oven. Keep them in the oven while frying the rest. 
6. Sprinkle the crispy fried rings with freshly chopped parsley and serve them with lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce on the side.

Air Fryer Method

This is an incredibly healthy recipe if made with an air fryer. You only get calories and nutrients from the squid and cornmeal.

To make fried calamari in an air fryer, prep the calamari rings following our recipe above. Then, once you have coated the rings in cornmeal, arrange them inside of the air fryer basket in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the basket. You may need to work in smaller batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

Then, spray the rings with cooking spray. This will add that extra crisp to your fried squid rings. And finally, cook your rings for 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Make sure they are completely cooked and crispy.

Expert Tips

• Always completely thaw frozen squid before cooking calamari. Regardless of whether you are using whole squid or pre-sliced rings. Then, continue following our tenderizing steps.
• You have to soak the calamari rings and tentacles in mineral water. It makes a big difference and you will regret skipping it.
• You can substitute the mineral water with buttermilk if you’d like. And, if you have no buttermilk, use regular milk with some salt.
• Cornmeal makes the most crispy calamari rings. However, you can also use cake flour or all-purpose flour.
•  It’s important to ensure your oil is at 350-375°F (180-190°C). You can test the temperature using a thermometer or our cornmeal trick. Add a pinch of cornmeal to the hot oil. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is hot enough to fry in.
• Calamari rings may not be as crispy when shallow fried. So make sure there is enough oil in the pan to cover all parts of the rings.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan, this is very important for crispy calamari. Otherwise, the temperature of the hot oil will reduce and the squid rings won’t be fried properly.
• These fried squid rings have to be served immediately. Otherwise, they will lose their crispiness and go soggy. 

How To Reheat

Although fried calamari tastes the best on the day it is made, there are ways to reheat it. If you have leftovers and don’t want to waste them. You can reheat them on the stovetop or in the air fryer.

• To reheat on the stovetop, heat oil in a non-stick pan for shallow fry. When it is hot enough, place the calamari rings in the pan and let them heat for about a minute, flip them over and cook that side for 30 seconds or so. 
• To reheat in an air fryer, preset your machine to 300°F/150°C and place fried calamari rings on the tray in a single layer. Heat for 3-4 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

In Turkey, we traditionally serve deep fried squid rings with a Turkish tarator sauce. This is an incredibly delicious tangy mayo-yogurt sauce with strong garlic flavors. You can find the recipe for it in the recipe card below.

A bowl of fresh salad could make a great match too.

You can also serve fried calamari as a finger food with a delicious lemon tahini sauce, marinara sauce or garlic aioli.

FAQs

Other Seafood Recipes

• Baked Lemon Pepper Tilapia
• Fettuccine with Salmon

You might also like: