Indian-Spiced Calamari Recipe From ‘A Brown Table'
Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Here, Nik Sharma of A Brown Table shares a recipe for cornmeal-dusted calamari with an Indian twist.
Crunchy, Indian-spiced calamari. Photo: Nik Sharma
Goan-Style Spicy Calamari
Serves 4
Calamari is one of my favorite seafood appetizers, and I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to make calamari at home. Cornmeal lends these squid a super crispy crust, and I’ve added several ingredients that are commonly used in Goan cuisine to give these guys a delicious, flavorful kick. I’m not a big fan of dipping sauces when it comes to eating calamari — I prefer a splash of fresh lemon juice.
2 pounds squid, cleaned
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons kosher sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon chili powder (I used freshly ground dried Kashmiri chilies, but cayenne also works great here)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds, freshly ground
1 clove (approximately one teaspoon) of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon corn flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups cornmeal
Fresh lemon wedges, to garnish
Fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, to garnish
Wipe any excess liquid from the squid using clean paper towels. Using a sharp knife, cut the head off and the body into rings. Place on a clean paper towel and set aside. (Food52 has a great tutorial on how to clean and cut squid).
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg. Add the ingredients in the above list from the sea salt to the corn flour, and whisk until completely combined. Fold in the cut squid until coated evenly. Allow to sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Add 2 inches-worth of oil to a wok and heat over a medium-high flame. In the meantime, place the cornmeal in a medium-sized tray. Using a fork pick up the marinated pieces of squid, toss them in the cornmeal until completely coated. Place the coated pieces on a sheet of parchment paper.
As soon as the oil gets hot, about 375°F, fry about a quarter of the cornmeal-coated squid until golden brown (don’t overcrowd the wok or they won’t cook evenly). The squid will cook within 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon onto a clean sheet of absorbent paper towels to drain the excess oil. Repeat with the rest of the squid. Serve hot with fresh lemon wedges and garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley leaves.
Need more Indian food stories? Here you go:
Why Indian food is so amazing, scientifically speaking
Spicy coconut mussels for a light-but-flavorful dinner
How an Indian chef makes beef Bourguignon
Have you ever cooked Indian food at home? Tell us about it below!
