Fried Calamari

Name: Fried Calamari
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: european
Ingredients: 14 ounces small-medium calamari; All-purpose flour, for dusting; Light olive oil, for frying; Alatopiperigano, recipe follows, for serving; Lemon quarters, for serving, optional; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; Few grinds of black pepper

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Please use lovely fresh and tender calamari here. It must be eaten with just a scattering of salt, pepper and oregano, and some lemon on the side for whoever would like. Have a bowl of plain flour and a bowl of water ready and your pan of oil heating up. Sometimes calamari splatters and pops in the skillet, so it's a good idea to have a splatter mat that you can cover the skillet with while the calamari is frying.

Level: Intermediate

Yield: Serves 2

Level: Intermediate

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients

14 ounces small-medium calamari

All-purpose flour, for dusting

Light olive oil, for frying

Alatopiperigano, recipe follows, for serving

Lemon quarters, for serving, optional

Alatopiperigano:

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Few grinds of black pepper

Directions

Cut the heads off and pull the innards from the calamari. Pull the transparent spine out of the body. Cut off the tentacles just above the eyes. Rinse the bodies and tentacles in cold water and dry them on paper towels. Slice the bodies into rings about 5/8 inch or as you like them. Keep the tentacles whole (unless they are big).
Put the flour on a deep plate, and pour cold water into a deep bowl. Pour olive oil to a depth of at least 1/2 inch into a skillet and put over high heat. Pat the calamari in the flour to coat well, shake off the excess, then quickly dip them in the cold water. Pat them again well in the flour and shake off lightly. Fry in batches in the hot oil, turning them once, until they are golden and crusty. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain while frying the rest. Scatter with alatopiperigano and serve at once with lemon for those who would like it.