This is how to cook calamari deep fried, in a pan on the stove or in an air fryer is here. Crispy and delicious bite size pieces of squid. A great appetizer or snack.
Ever since I had the most amazing fried squid at a sushi restaurant I’ve wanted to figure out the best calamari recipe at home. It needed to be crispy and crunchy with tender meat on the inside. We’ll share an air fryer and fried version here so you can see which you love best. After this try these easy fish recipes too.
How to Make Fried Calamari
You’ve only had this at restaurant like Olive Garden??!! OH you’re in for a treat, it actually isn’t that hard to deep fry or air fry it at home. That way you can make it as thin and crispy or thick and chewy on the inside as you want to. That is the best part. Then experiment with all sorts of dipping sauces.
What is calamari made of?
If you didn’t know already it is the body of the squid sliced into thin (or thick) pieces. They come out as rings which is fun, sometimes the tentacles are battered and fried too. You can use the entire body if you like. Seasoned served with a dip they are very tasty and usually served as an appetizer.
Ingredient Notes
- Defrosted or fresh calamari rings, the thinner you slice it the crispier it will get. You can find whole calamari tubes at the grocery store, or bags where they are already sliced. The latter is easier to find typically. Look in the frozen seafood section to find them. You do want them fresh or defrosted, not frozen.
- Flour will coat the outside making them crispy, we use all purpose for this
- Season with salt and pepper before and after cooking for more flavor
- Butter or dairy free alternative is fine for this
- Garlic we like for added flavor, minced
- Lemon wedges squeezed on top and scallions diced on top at the end are great
- Hot Oil is needed to fry, Olive oil spray is all you need if you are making air fryer crispy fried calamari it instead. Link to those instructions below on top of the photo.
How do you tenderize calamari rings?
You can submerge in a bowl of lemon juice for about 30 minutes before you throw them into the flour. I don’t find that this is necessary but I do like a bit of a “bite” to them.
How to Cook Calamari in Pan
If you don’t have a dedicated deep fryer that is okay. You can make pan fried calamari similarly without them being submerged in oil. All you need here is about 1 cup vegetable oil. It doesn’t take very long to get the outside a nice golden brown and the insides tender either.
In case you do just plop them in for 2-3 minutes and remove, you don’t want to get the too brown in my opinion. I like it still tender in the middle and not crunchy like french fries. Paired with a few air fryer scallops these make for a delicious at home seafood meal.
There is another coating you could use too though. If you want something a little thicker, but still light, make our tempura batter recipe and dip into that before frying. This won’t work in your air fryer though.
How to Cook Calamari Rings from Frozen
You will want to defrost them before making any of these for best results. If not the breading won’t stick. Leave in the fridge for a few hours is all that is necessary to soften up adequately.
Fried Calamari Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pan
- 1 shallow bowl
Ingredients
- 1 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 c scallions, diced
- 1 chili, diced
- 1/2 c parsley, fresh, diced
- 1 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/2 lb calamari, fresh or defrosted, cut into rings
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 chili pepper, diced, optional
Instructions
- Pat the squid dry with paper towels. Slice into rings and put into a bowl. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on and toss to coat well.
- Add about 6 cups of vegetable oil into a pan and heat over medium high heat until it is hot enough to fry. To test drop a tiny piece of squid in and if it begins to immediately sizzle and fry it is ready.
- Dip each squid ring into the flour to coat, then into the oil to fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove and place on to paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- In a small pan heat on low the butter to melt, add garlic, chili, and scallions. Cook until garlic turns dark brown, then remove from the heat. Drizzle this on top of fried calamari and toss to coat, then serve with a squeeze of lemon on top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How Long to Cook Calamari in Air Fryer
For air fryer calamari instructions please follow these directions here. I think this method tenderizes the squid just a bit more since it is cooked on a lower temperature for a bit longer. You can make this either in your Ninja Foodi using the lid that is attached or a Cosori that just has a drawer.
Served with a lemon slice to squeeze on top they are so good with marinara sauce or your favorite dip. My kids tend to love it with dips, this is how to make fry sauce or our bang bang shrimp sauce! So if you were wondering what’s the best way to cook squid I hope we convinced you that this is it!
What side dishes go well with seafood?
An easy one when we make Crock Pot shrimp boil is a pot full of Ninja Foodi rice. You can make air fryer fried potatoes with it too with some Za atar seasoning. For a lighter meal you can serve this with a side salad and a glass of white wine. I mean you just can’t go wrong with this any day of the week……
you forgot the air fryer directions
There is a link above the recipe card for the air fryer calamari post with those directions, link is in blue.