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Fried calamari with sundried tomato cocktail sauce
Serving these crispy bites alongside a classic pairing, sundried tomato cocktail sauce is a no-brainer.
YIELDS
4
TO
6
Ingredients
Sundried Tomato Cocktail Sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sundried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) reserved sun-dried tomato oil from the jar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey
- 1.4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) garlic powder
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) prepared horseradish
- Salt
Fried Calamari
- 1-pound (454 g) squid, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) rings
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 3 jalapenos, emptied and sliced into thin rings
- 5 cherry peppers, emptied and sliced into rings
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 cup (240 ml) flour
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon wedges to finish
Finish the Calamari
Directions
Fried Calamari
- In a large bowl, combine the calamari, sliced peppers, and buttermilk. Allow soaking for one hour.
Sundried Tomato Cocktail Sauce
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a food processor, combine the sundried tomatoes and their oil, vinegar, honey, cayenne, garlic powder, and water. Puree until smooth.
- Stir the horseradish into the sauce. Season with salt and refrigerate until needed.
Finish the Calamari
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over high heat, bring the oil to 375 F (190 C).
- In a bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and stir together.
- Drain the squid and pepper rings and add, in batches, to the flour mixture. Toss to ensure they’re well coated.
- Shake off any excess flour, and carefully lower the squid and pepper rings into the hot oil, again in batches.
- Fry until golden brown, around 90 seconds, gently stirring as needed to evenly colour the rings.
- Use a wire strainer to transfer the fried squid and peppers to a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt.
- Squeeze lemon juice overtop the fried squid and peppers and add lemon wedges on the side.
- Serve the Fried Calamari and Peppers immediately, along with a ramekin of Sundried Tomato Cocktail Sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
