Kalamar Tava (Turkish Fried Calamari)

Kalamar Tava is a big deal in Turkey, especially along the beautiful coastlines where seafood is king. It is one of the most famous appetizers to pair with cold beer.

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

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

What is Kalamar Tava?

Kalamar Tava is a tasty Turkish starter made with calamari, also known as squid.

You slice the squid into rings, marinate them in sparkling water (aka mineral water), baking soda, and lemon juice to make them tender, then coat them in cornmeal for crunch. After frying them to a golden crisp, they're ready to eat.

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. 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. 

Ingredients

We really don't need many ingredients to make kalamar tava. They can be put under 3 categories.

Calamari Rings

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

However, if you can't find fresh squids, you can also use frozen squid rings.

Marinade Ingredients & Substitutions

• 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: We use plain sparkling mineral water (maden suyu) when tenderizing calamari. The carbon dioxide aids the baking soda and lemon juice.
• Substitution: Use buttermilk or milk as a substitute for the mixture of mineral water, baking soda and lemon juice. It works as well to tenderize the squid.

Coating Ingredients

• Cornmeal: Cornmeal makes the best coating for kalamar. It 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.

How to Prepare Squid

If you are making kalamar tava 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 Tenderize Calamari Rings

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

To tenderize the cut calamari rings, 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 kalamar rings to marinate and tenderize in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While this is the technique used in Turkey and 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 Them

Making kalamar tava is incredibly easy. 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 calamari 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 calamari 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 kalamar tava onto this wire rack and put them in the oven. Keep them in the oven while frying the rest. 
6. Sprinkle the crispy fried calamari rings with freshly chopped parsley and serve them with lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce on the side.

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 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 use all-purpose flour or semolina too.
•  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.
• Kalamar tava may not get 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 calamari rings have to be served immediately. Otherwise, they will lose their crispiness and go soggy. 

Storing & Reheating Fried Calamari

Although these taste the best on the day they are made, you can store them if you have leftovers and don’t want to waste them.

To store kalamar tava, let them cool, place them in an airtight container with paper towels, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

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 the oven, preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C, arrange the rings on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until crispy. Avoid using a microwave to prevent sogginess.

Serving Suggestions

Typically, in Turkey, Kalamar Tava is served hot, right out of the frying pan. It's often accompanied by a wedge or two of fresh lemon.

For dipping, a common choice is a simple tarator sauce, which is also known as kalamar sosu (sauce for calamari). It is a dipping sauce basically made with a mixture of breadcrumbs, yogurt, mayonnaise, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

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

FAQs

Other Seafood Recipes

• Tuna Salad Without Mayo
• Baked Sea Bass
• Hamsi Tava Recipe

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