Salt and pepper fried calamari #recipe #friedsquid #friedcalamari

Squid goals: crispy, savory, and totally irresistible 🦑

➡️ Recipe: Salt & Pepper Fried Calamari

* ½ lb squid tubes & tentacles, cleaned
* ½ tsp salt
* ¼ tsp baking soda
* ½ tsp Shaoxing wine
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/3 cup red bell pepper, small cubes
* 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
* Neutral oil for frying (i.e. peanut, canola, sunflower)

Seasoning—
* 1/2 tbsp sugar
* 2 tsp kosher salt
* 1/4 tsp black pepper

Wet Batter—
* ¼ cup cornstarch
* ¼ cup all-purpose flour
* ½ tsp baking powder
* ¼ tsp garlic powder
* ⅓ cup (ice-cold) sparkling water

Dredge—
* ½ cup cornstarch
* ¼ cup all-purpose flour

1. Slice squid into ½-inch rings. Combine with salt, baking soda, and Shaoxing wine. Mix well and marinade for 10-15 mins. Pat very dry with paper towels.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt kosher salt and black pepper to make the seasoning. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, all-purpose flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and ice cold sparkling water. Mix well to get a thin pancake-like consistency. Add (patted dry) squid and mix until well coated. Leave in the fridge for 10 minutes or until after the next step. *** The cold batter helps keep the crunchiness once fried.
4. In a bowl, combine cornstarch and all purpose for the dredge. Whisk to combine and set aside.
5. Heat ~3 cups oil to 375°F .
6. Grabbing a few pieces of squid from the batter, shake off the excess batter then put the squid in the dry dredge, pressing lightly to create a rough, craggy crust. Shake off excess dredge.
7. Fry squid in small batches, 1–2 minutes max, until puffed and lightly golden. Drain on a wire rack and not paper towels to prevent sogginess.
8. In a wok/skillet, heat 1/2 tbsp oil. Sauté minced garlic, bell pepper and jalapeños until fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in calamari and salt and pepper seasoning. Toss well. Serve and enjoy!