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Calamari (Rhode Island)

american-rhodeisland-calamariRhode Island-style calamari is battered in a flour mixture, deep-fried to crispy perfection, then tossed with butter, garlic, cherry pepper, and pepperoncini.

1 lb calamari
½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ cup corn meal
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. sea salt
2 large eggs
5 Tbsp. salted butter
1 cup banana/pepperoncini/cherry pepper rings, sliced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
frying oil

Optional Ingredients:
lemon wedges
marinara sauce

Heat 2" of oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat until the oil reaches 375 degrees.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl and set to the side. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, cayenne, garlic powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Dunk the calamari in the egg and shake off the excess. Dunk the calamari in the flour mixture, then shake off the excess. Place the calamari on a plate as you work through it.

Place a handful of calamari rings in the frying oil at a time. Allow the calamari to cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until it's lightly browned. Remove the calamari with a slotted spoon, then plate on a paper towel lined plate.

In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sautè the garlic and pepper rings until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Once all the calamari is fried, toss the calamari in the pan with the butter mixture and coat evenly.

Serve the calamari with marinara sauce, lemon wedges, and fresh herbs like basil or parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Where to buy calamari rings and tentacles:

  • You can buy fresh or frozen calamari rings and tentacles for this recipe. I have made this recipe with both fresh and frozen and both are very delicious.
  • Fresh calamari (never frozen) is tenderer when it is deep fried compared to frozen calamari. Frozen calamari can get a little chewy, but chances are you've been served previously frozen calamari at 90% of restaurants and lived to tell the tale. Still delicious.
  • You can find squid rings and tentacles in most grocery stores that have a seafood department. You can certainly purchase a whole squid if you are up to the task of cleaning it and chopping it into rings.
    Don't overcook the calamari
  • This is a fast moving dish, so don't leave the stove once you start frying. Since frying oil temperatures are high (at least 350 degrees), the calamari only takes 1-2 minutes to cook. Any more time than that and you will have dry, rubbery, super chewy calamari.

Make it your own:

  • You can serve this Rhode Island style calamari with a few traditional fixings. You can serve calamari on a bed of lettuce or arugula for presentation and addition flavours.
  • Lemon wedges are commonly served on the side of calamari since lemon goes great with just about any kind of sea food. Surprisingly, the lemon juice pairs perfectly with my next recommendation, marinara sauce.
  • Marinara sauce is perfect for dunking deep fried Rhode Island style calamari in. The tomato and basil based sauce goes great with the buttery, garlicy hot pepper mixture and let's be real here- anything is enhanced with a good sauce. Mexicans know this the best.

The batter:

  • The verdict is in. I took one for the team and ate lots and lots of calamari using different methods to provide you with the crispiest, most tender calamari recipe.
  • First, I tried dunking the calamari in buttermilk, then a flour and cornstarch mixture. The coating ended up crispy at first, but lost its crisp as it cooled. Ok, back to the drawing board.
  • I then tried to dunk the calamari in Red's Hot Sauce first (I really do put that shizzzz on everything) and then in the flour/cornstarch mixture. The batter fell off a bit in the frying pot and got a bit sloppy. Next idea.
  • This time, I skipped the dunking and just put the calamari rings right in to flour mixture. The coating ended up super thin and provided little crunch. Not a fan.
  • I added cornstarch to the flour and cornstarch mixture. I dunked the calamari in the buttermilk, then in the flour/cornstarch/cornmeal mixture. The coating was super crispy but came away from the calamari.
  • Lastly, I ditched the buttermilk and tried an egg. I dunked the calamari in egg, then in the flour/cornstarch/cornmeal mixture, and fried it. The coating stuck right onto the calamari and it was super crispy. Winner winner, chicken calamari dinner.

Keeping the calamari crispy:

  • Although the butter, garlic, and banana peppers is a super delicious addition, it can make the calamari less crispy because the butter will soak the coating.
  • If you would like to keep the calamari totally crispy, you can skip this step and add the banana peppers when you plate the calamari.