Salt and Pepper Calamari a Spicy Appetizer

Sometimes a sampling of little bites makes for a  more interesting evening than a single main course. The Spanish have this perfected with their culinary tradition of tapas and pintxos. We decided quite a while a go to celebrate the New Year (on Paris time) and to do so by tasting our way around the world, in small bites. This year was no different, our seafood-themed menu started with skewered shrimp and ended on a high note with Salt and Pepper Calamari.

Calamari (squid) appears frequently on menus in Provence as calmar or calamar. However, like many culinary ingredients in France the name depends on size and where you are in the country.

Encornets are small calamari, and are often stuffed (farci). Here is a recipe for spinach stuffed encornets.

Chipirons are small calamari, in the Pays Basque.

Cuttlefish (related to octopus and squid) are called seiche.

Poulpe is octopus.

Confused? We found this article that explains the difference between squid and cuttlefish.

Salt and Pepper Calamari

This recipe was minimally adapted from Caz Hildebrand’s - The Grammar of Spice. This appetizer is easy to make and the calamari is spicy without being too heavily battered (as is often the case).

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine French

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• 1 chef's knife (8-inch)
• 1 mixing bowls, stainless steel small
• skillet all-clad non-stick with lid (12-inch)
• mortar and pestle

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 squid tubes with tentacles, cleaned
• 1 Meyer Lemon (for juice) or the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 orange
• 2-3 tablespoons Soy sauce to taste
• 3 tablespoons Mirin
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 inch piece Ginger finely grated
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan Peppercorns
• 2-3 teaspoons sea salt originally called for 4 teaspoons!
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• Neutral Oil for frying
• 4 cups arugula (rocket) (or mizuna) on four salad or dinner plates

Instructions

 

• Trim the tentacles off the calamari tubes, then cut the tubes into 1/4-inch rings. Trim tentacles, keep only what is needed. Set aside.
• Whisk together the lemon juice, soy sauce, Mirin, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and grated ginger. Set aside.
• Grind the peppers in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Place them in a large plastic bag and add salt and cornstarch. Shake the bag to mix the ingredients.
• Heat 1/2-inch of oil in a large shallow skillet.
• Add the calamari pieces to the plastic bag with the salt and pepper and shake to coat well.
• Carefully drop the calamari pieces into to the hot oil and fry till golden. You may want to do this in batches; the calamari shouldn’t be crowded in the pot.
• When golden, remove calamari with a slotted spoon and drain them on several layers of paper towels.
• Toss the mizuna with half the dressing, and divide among four plates.
• Top each salad with a quarter of the fried calamari and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!