Cayenne Spiced Fried Squid Recipes

NDUJA STUFFED SQUID

Steps:

• For the nduja stuffing: Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it begins to smoke lightly, add the garlic and shallots. Cook, stirring continuously, until the shallots and garlic become translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool down.
• Add the nduja, panko, oregano, orange zest and shallot mixture to a medium bowl and combine well. Transfer to a piping bag and tie the piping bag with butcher's twine until tight.
• For the orange vinaigrette: Combine the orange juice, olive oil, sherry vinegar, pepper and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well and refrigerate.
• For the squid: Fill the squid tubes with the nduja mixture, leaving 1/4 inch of space from the top (do not overstuff!).
• Sprinkle the squid with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan and add the olive oil. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, remove the pan from the heat and place the squid tubes in the pan. Sear evenly all over, about 4 minutes, then add the tentacles, orange segments, orange zest and coriander seeds and let cook, 1 minute more. Remove the squid from the pan.
• Arrange the squid all facing the same direction in a large serving bowl. Place the tentacles in between each tube. Garnish the squid with the orange segments. Spoon orange vinaigrette over the top and finish with the chopped mint and parsley. Serve immediately.

SALT AND PEPPER FRIED SQUID

Steps:

• If using frozen calamari/squid, defrost overnight in the fridge then drain off any excess liquid and pat dry with paper towels. If you're using whole squid, cut the tubes into thick rings with a sharp knife before dredging with flour and deep frying.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt and black pepper.
• Add the squid to the flour mixture and dredge, making sure each piece of calamari/squid is completely covered and that the pieces are separate.
• Heat enough oil to fry the Calamari in a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium high heat.
• Once the oil is hot, shake off the excess flour then add the calamari in batches and cook until golden brown and crisp.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels or a wire rack before serving.
• Combine the mayonnaise and garlic together in a small bowl.
• Serve the squid with garlic mayo and lemon wedges.

STUFFED SQUID

Steps:

• For the stuffing: Add the bread crumbs, salami, scamorza cheese, Parmigiano cheese, an egg, 1/2 the parsley, salt, and black pepper to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 cup white wine. With your hands, thoroughly mix all the ingredients.
• Gently stuff each squid with the mixture. Seal the opening with a toothpick. Continue until all the mixture is consumed.
• In a large frying pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and add the garlic and the remaining parsley. Cook for about 1 minute on medium-high heat. Add the stuffed squid and cook until the meat starts changing color and becomes slightly golden. Add the wine, salt, and chile pepper. Lower the heat, cover the pan and allow the wine to reduce and thicken up. Allow to cook for 10 minutes.
• Serve the squid with the sauce over a bed of linguine, if desired.

FIVE-SPICE CRISP-FRIED SQUID

Steps:

• Rinse squid well in cold water, then drain well and pat dry with kitchen towels.
• Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a wok or cast-iron pan. Adjust heat to maintain 375 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, stir together cornstarch, cayenne, salt, black pepper and five-spice powder. Set bowl near stove.
• Dip squid pieces into cornstarch mixture, one by one, and immediately slip carefully into hot oil. Let fry, making sure not to crowd the pan. (Use 2 pans or work in batches if necessary.) Turn pieces with tongs to ensure even cooking. When squid is lightly browned, after about 2 minutes, remove pieces and blot on paper towels.
• Transfer squid to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chiles. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

FLASH FRIED SQUID

Steps:

• Prepare gremolata: In a small bowl, combine the parsley, horseradish, and lemon zest; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne; set aside.
• To cook the squid, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a straight-sided pot. Be sure not to fill your pot more than halfway up the side with oil, because it will foam during frying.
• Pat the squid dry, and toss in the seasoned flour mixture to coat. Let stand 1 minute. Shake the floured squid in a sieve to remove any excess flour. Fry in batches, without crowding, until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Drain the squid on paper towels. (Frying a batch of squid will bring the temperature of the oil down. Be sure to reheat the oil in between batches and check the temperature again with a deep-fry thermometer before adding more squid.)
• Season squid with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the gremolata over squid. Serve immediately with aioli and lemon wedges.

SPICY AND GREASY RHODE ISLAND CALAMARI

Steps:

• Working Ahead:
• The squid can be cleaned (if necessary) and cut in the morning, then covered and refrigerated. The fry mix can also be made early in the day.
• Cut squid bodies into 1/2″ rings and put in a colander set over a bowl; add whole tentacles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 6 hours).
• Fry Mix:
• Combine cornstarch, flour, cornmeal, salt, and both peppers in a large bowl and whisk well. Refrigerate if not using within an hour or two to prevent humidity from changing the mixture.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 3" of oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat (or in a deep fryer) until it registers 360° on a deep-fry thermometer.
• While oil is heating, pour buttermilk into a large bowl and drop squid into it. Stir with a Chinese wire-mesh skimmer to coat, then lift about half of squid pieces from buttermilk, allowing excess buttermilk to drip back into bowl, and drop pieces into the dry mix. Rinse and dry the wire skimmer. Toss pieces to coat evenly with the mix, then lift them out with skimmer, gently shake off excess fry mix, and transfer to a plate. Bread remaining squid. Rinse and dry skimmer.
• Heat a 10″-12″sauté pan over medium heat and add butter. Once it melts, add garlic and sauté until golden. Add drained cherry peppers and toss to combine. Turn heat down to low while you fry squid.
• When the oil is hot, carefully drop half the squid pieces into oil. If any of the pieces stick to the bottom of the pot, loosen with tongs. Turn squid occasionally to cook evenly; it will only take about 1 1/2 minutes until they are crisp and golden.
• Fry remaining squid and drain.
• Add all of fried squid to the hot pan with the garlic and sliced peppers, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and quickly and gently toss (only twice). Divide among 4 small plates and serve immediately.

CRISPY FRIED CALAMARI & AïOLI

Steps:

• Cut the tentacles off the squid and put in a bowl. Slice the squid tubes into roughly 1cm thick rings and add to the bowl. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over a low heat, ensuring it is no more than two-thirds full.
• For the aïoli, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, saffron and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Toss the squid with the flour, cornflour, baking powder, cayenne and ½ tsp salt. When the oil has reached 170C on a thermometer, or when a cube of bread is dropped in and turns golden brown in 30 seconds, deep-fry the squid in batches for 2 mins, or until lightly golden and crisp. Set aside on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Serve the fried squid with the aïoli on the side for dipping.