Sunday, November 6, 2011

Oven Baked Calamari with two Dipping Sauces


I love calamari and have always wanted to make it at home.  But I knew what that meant...cups and cups of hot oil, a fattening appetizer and a disastrous kitchen = deep frying.  I then stumbled upon a genius idea; baking calamari!  I combined a few recipes and came up with my own.  It was so easy and yummy.  The plate was gone in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients: 


-1 (10-oz) bag of frozen calamari/squid rings (can be found at many grocery stores or Asian Markets)
-2 cups Panko bread crumbs (found in the Asian food aisle)
-1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
-1 Tbsp salt
-1 Tbsp dried oregano
-1/2 cup flour
-2 egg whites
-additional salt and pepper to taste

For Dipping Sauces:


-1/4 cup jarred marinara sauce
-1/2 cup light mayo
-1/4 cup light sour cream
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
-juice from 1/2 lemon (other half cut into wedges for serving)
-Srircha to taste (if you want to make it spicy!)


First, thaw your frozen calamari rings by setting on the counter for a few hours, or running under cool water.  Rinse them in a strainer and pat dry.




While the squid is thawing out, make your dipping sauce.  The first dipping sauce is easy: jarred marinara sauce.  The second one just takes a bit of chopping and mixing.  First, chop your parsley and garlic.  In a small bowl mix together the sour cream, mayo, juice from 1/2 lemon, parsley and garlic. If you want to make your garlic aioli sauce a little spicy add some Sriracha, 1 Tbsp at a time.  I split the aioli in half and made some spicy so I could have two different sauces.






Next, on a plate spread the flour evenly and season with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg whites.  In another, larger bowl, mix together the Panko bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper, 1 Tbsp oregano. I set up a little assembly line starting with the flour plate, then the egg whites, then the bread crumbs and finally a greased baking sheet (just spray with PAM).  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.




Working with 4-6 rings at a time, coat with flour, shake off excess.  Then plop in the egg whites and let extra drip off before throwing into the Panko.  Shake the bowl around (or use tongs or fork) to completely cover each ring in the bread crumbs.  Transfer to a single layer on the baking sheet.





Continue the steps for the remaining calamari rings.


Bake for 7 minutes, remove from oven and flip each ring.  Bake for another 5 minutes and pull out. Sprinkle with some sea salt (or kosher, or regular table salt). Serve immediately with lemon wedges and your dipping sauces.  Be sure not to bake too long or the calamari will get chewy and rubbery = eww.  I recommend squeezing lots of lemon all over the calamari.  Enjoy this fancy appetizer with only about 1/2 the calories of a restaurant serving.


14 comments:

  1. Great idea! I had them grilled once (with no breading), it was fantastic.

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    1. Hi Gwen, I'm curious; when you say you grilled them without breading, what exactly dud you do? I'd like crispy calamari but don't want the hassle of breading/battering, so any assistance would be great. Thanks!

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  2. I giggled when I read "Squid Rings". I never thought of calamari as that before but that's truly what they are! I love calamari so I look forward to trying it. Great pictures, too.

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  3. Oh man, I love cooking and creating, and reading blogs pertaining to the two. Yours is one of my favorite I have ever come across. This looks delicious- similar to things I have done before, but more patiently executed. And really making me want to try the whole patience thing. Thanks for all of the delicious recipe ideas!

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    Replies
    1. Paige, thank you for the sweet comment. I'm so glad you enjoy the website. Please let me know if you try any of the recipes and what you think. Thanks again!

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  4. WONDERFUL RECIPE, EASY WITH GREAT RESULTS--USUALLY DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF EGG WHITES
    SAUCE -EASY, BIG HIT-
    HAVE SHARED WITH LOTS OF OUR COOKING FRIENDS, ALL HAVE LOVED IT
    TKS
    GORDON
    STOWE, VERMONT

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  5. Oh my gosh I have been waiting for this! I love Calamri (sorry my spelling is bad) and I'm on this new healthy way of living and this seems to be the recipe that tastes great and is good for you for too! Thanks :)

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  6. Simple and amazingly tasty! Maybe a bit of smoked paprika along with the breadcrumbs will enhance it further! Thank you so much for sharing a simple and beautiful recipe Rachel!

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    Replies
    1. I loved smoked paprika in breadcrumbs...I do it with my chicken nuggets. What a fabulous idea! Thanks for the comment!

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  7. Do you happen to know where you can buy squid rings? I have never seen them but then we live in New Mexico! Any ideas? I am going to try this recipe today. Thank you for sharing a good alternative to frying. I love squid. I usually have to explain what it is when I try to find it here...

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    Replies
    1. Bonnie, I'm sorry you're having troubles finding squid/calamari. I would try a specialty store if you have any in your area. Possibly a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Also, if you have an Asian Supermarkets, they tend to carry more frozen seafood variety then our grocery stores. Hope that helps!

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