Salt and Pepper Calamari

This is the BEST fried calamari recipe. Salt and Pepper Squid is crispy, tender and perfectly seasoned. It is so easy to make this restaurant favorite at home.

If you, like me, are a fan of the crispy seafood appetizer known as calamari that can be found on many seafood, Italian and Asian restaurant menus, you just might find yourself in love with this Salt and Pepper Calamari Recipe. It’s crispy, tender, and perfectly seasoned.

What is calamari?

Calamari is squid. I know, I know when I first started working at a seafood restaurant at 16, it was the last thing I wanted to eat. But after finally mustering up the courage I gave it a go and guess what, it is good. 

It has quickly become the one appetizer that I have to order whenever I see it on a menu.  Through all that trying though I have realized that not all calamari is created equal. Overcook it and it is rubbery and hard to chew. Put a heavy wet batter on it and it won’t be nearly as crispy. For more calamari basics check out Spruce Eats for their rundown.

After after a few tries I’ve finally perfected making fried calamari at home. I’m sharing my tips with you today, so you can make this restaurant favorite at home too!

Tips to help you make the perfect fried calamari:

Tip 1: Tenderize squid first before frying. You can tenderize it in milk, buttermilk or lemon juice.

Tip 2: A wet batter is too heavy for calamari. Instead a dip squid pieces in egg whites and then dredge in a combination of flour and cornstarch. This will give you a perfectly crispy exterior.

Tip 3: Calamari does not take long to cook. You only need to deep fry squid 3 minutes at most. Cooking too long will result in tough pieces.

Tip 4: As you fry the calamari in batches, keep calamari onto of a cooling rack on a baking sheet. This helps keep it crispy.

Tip 5: Unlike most fried food, when finished, calamari will be a pale golden color. If it’s a dark golden color it will most likely be over done.

How to this Make Salt and Pepper Calamari Recipe: 

Step 1: Cut squid tubes into 1/4 inch pieces. Leave tentacles whole.

Step 2: Tenderize squid in lemon juice for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Dip the pieces in egg whites. Let excess drip off.

Step 4: Dredge in seasoned flour/corn starch and shake off excess.

Step 5: Fry in 375 degree oil for 2-3 minutes or until a pale golden color.

What is a good dip for calamari?

Since this Salt and Pepper Calamari has an Asian twist to it, I highly recommend dipping it in Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. However, it would also be fantastic dipped in Harissa Aioli or Garlic Aioli.

I love serving this salt and pepper squid as part of our “Take out at Home” night where we make all of our Asian recipe takeout favorites like  crispy pork wontons , blistered shishito peppers and sesame pork stir fry. I mean, who needs delivery when you can just make it all at home?

Looking for more seafood recipes?

Baked Salmon with Lemon Caper Butter

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia 

Fried Cod

Shrimp Taco Recipe

Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2010. It was updated with new photos, tips and nutrition facts in 2020.

Salt and Pepper Calamari

The BEST fried calamari recipe. Salt and Pepper Calamari is crispy, tender and perfectly seasoned. It is so easy to make this restaurant favorite at home.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Easy Appetizer Recipes, Main Dishes

Cuisine Asian

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 599 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Ingredients:

• ▢ oil for frying
• ▢ 1/2 pound calamari rings thawed if frozen
• ▢ 3 egg whites
• ▢ 2/3 cup cornstarch
• ▢ 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for after frying
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper plus more for after frying
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Instructions

 

• ▢
  Heat oil in a large pan or pot over medium high heat.
• ▢
  Place egg whites in one bowl, whisk slightly. In another bowl mix together cornstarch, flour, salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
• ▢
  Dip squid pieces into egg, then place in cornstarch mixture and toss to coat. Shake any excess off.
• ▢
  Once oil reaches 375 degrees, begin frying calamari. You may need to do this in batches, be careful not to over crowd the pan or the pieces will stick together. Fry calamari for 2 minutes, do not over cook or it will become tough. Using a slotted spoon transfer to a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
• ▢
  Sprinkle with a little more kosher salt, pepper and sliced green onions. Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition fats are for estimation purposes only.

Nutrition

Calories: 599kcalCarbohydrates: 24.4gProtein: 3.6gFat: 54.7gSaturated Fat: 7.1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 600mgFiber: 0.7gSugar: 0.3g

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Keywords: appetizer, calamari, Food, fried food, fried snack, Recipe, salt and pepper squid, seafood, snack, squid