Calamari!!
I went squid jigging in the Seattle area a few weeks ago and came home with quite a bit of squid. You can read more about that trip HERE, or scroll down to the bottom for a link to it. It was a really great experience, and I want to do it again, but first I wanted to figure out how to make calamari with the squid that I have.
Squid Jigging at Redondo Beach, WA.
To come up with this recipe took some trial and error and advice from good friends. My first attempt at cooking it was not very good. I breaded them with flour and sautéed them in a cast iron pan. They were not bad, but not great either.
I gave some of the squid to my good friend Mike Codino, he cooked some up and told me they were excellent, so I had to ask what he did. Mike added water to Pride of the West batter mix, soaked the squid in it and then used a fryer to cook them. Based upon Mikes advice, here is how I cooked them last night and they were amazing!
Cooking Calamari
Cut squid into strips 3" to 4" wide
Leave tentacles as they are, you do not need to cut them in half.
In a large bowl, mix Pride of the West and water to achieve a light batter mix. batter should be very runny, like soup.
Put all of your squid pieces into the batter, mix well.
Add "Slap Ya Momma" spice to the mix and stir well until you see the spice mixed throughout the calamari pieces.
Add peanut oil to your fryer ands heat to 375 degrees.
Once the oil is at 375, add pieces to the basket and drop into the fryer.
Let cook until they float and are a golden brown color.
Remove cooked pieces with metal tongs and place on paper towels to cool and drain.
Serve as an appetizer or a main course - they are amazing!