Crumbed Calamari With Lemon And Garlic Aioli Recipes

Steps:

• For calamari: Soak the calamari pieces in the buttermilk in a bowl for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
• For the lemon aioli: Add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper to a medium bowl. Stir to combine and adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside until ready to serve.
• Preheat a deep-fryer or several inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the flour seasoning: Add the flour, paprika, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Drain the calamari and put into the flour mixture, making sure each piece gets coated with the flour. Dump all the contents into a colander and shake off any excess flour. Line a dish with paper towels and set aside.
• In batches, add the lemon slices and calamari to the preheated oil and fry, mixing with a slotted spoon to prevent the calamari from clumping together, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Right before you take the calamari and lemon out of the fryer, toss in the parsley leaves carefully; this will cook very fast and can splatter, so stand back. Take all the contents out of the fryer to the lined dish and season with salt.
• Serve with the aioli, garnished with the zest and chopped parsley.

Steps:

• For the Calamari place the flour and Cajun spice mix in a large bowl and mix. Add the squid and turn until all the pieces are thoroughly coated. Shake off the excess mixture.
• In a large, heavy pot or deep-fryer over medium heat, heat the oil to 375°F or until almost smoking.
• Fry the squid for 2 to 3 minutes, or until a light golden brown.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Serve immediately with lemon or lime wedges and Lemon Aioli.
• For the Lemon Aioli place the zest, juice, mustard, garlic, egg yolks, pepper, salt, and bread in a blender or food processor and puree to a smooth paste.
• With the machine running, drizzle in the oil. If the aioli appears too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water at a time to adjust the consistency. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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.