Every New Year’s Day while I was growing up, my mom made calamari with spicy fried rice for the family. She still makes it
today and, even though I’ve moved out of the family home, I still go back to fetch that plate of food. Calamari, for me, is memories
on a plate.
Calamari and spice go so well together. Add a bit of crunch and texture and I could eat it all day. Here the parsley oil balances
with the spicy calamari. Serve it up as a starter, or increase the portion size and serve with some fresh greens as a main. Yum!
Spicy deep-fried calamari with parsley oil
| Servings |
| 4people |
|
|
Ingredients
- 4cups dried breadcrumbs
- 5 Tbsp Portuguese peri-peri powder
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- ¼tsp white pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1tsp black pepper
- 600 g cleaned calamari tubes and tentacles
- 2cups canola oil
- lemon slices to serve(optional)
Parsley OIl
- 1cup good-quality olive oil
- 130 g punnet flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
- ½tsp salt
- ½tsp black pepper
- 1Tbsp lemon juicefreshly squeezed
Instructions
- Combine the breadcrumbs, peri-peri powder, 1 tsp sea salt and the white pepper in a shallow bowl. Work with your hands to ensure that the seasoning is well mixed into the crumbs. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs and add the remaining salt and the black pepper.
- Dip the calamari into the egg mixture, and then immediately into the breadcrumb mixture. Ensure that all the calamari is well coated.
- Heat the canola oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat until hot. To test if the oil is ready, drop in a piece of calamari. If the crumbs ‘crackle’ and the calamari floats to the top then the oil is ready. Carefully drop the calamari into the oil – it is recommended you do this in batches. Once it has browned on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil.
- To make the parsley oil, place the olive oil and all remaining ingredients in the jug of a hand blender and pulse until combined and emulsified. This should take no longer than 30 seconds.
- Place the calamari on a serving platter and drizzle with a little of the parsley oil. Serve the rest of the oil on the side, with a few slices of lemon.
