Fried Calamari with Sweet & Spicy Sauce - ☺♥

This is the second fried calamari recipe I have prepared. It differs from the first one in that a sweet and spicy sauce is served for dipping the fried calamari. Optionally, the fried calamari can be tossed in the sauce along with some toasted sesame seeds. Also, in this recipe the cayenne pepper is put into the flour mixture instead of into the buttermilk mixture.

No doubt about it, these fried calamari taste great!

Ingredients: (Makes two to four servings)

Calamari

1/2 to 1 pound of calamari tubes

1 to 2 cups of cultured buttermilk

1 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of corn flour

1/4 cup of corn meal

1/2 tsp. of garlic powder

1/2 tsp. of paprika

1/2 tsp. of sea salt

1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper

1 to 2 quarts of peanut oil for frying

1 to 2 tbsp. of toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Sweet & Spicy Sauce

4 tablespoons of Thai (or other) chili garlic sauce

1 tablespoon of honey

1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil

Directions:

Slice the calamari tubes into rings about 1/2 inch wide.

Pour the buttermilk into a one quart bowl and add the lemon juice and stir.

Put the calamari rings into the bowl and stir until all are submerged. Let the calamari rings sit in the liquid for 30 minutes or longer.

Combine the flour, corn flour, corn meal, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt in a one quart bowl and whisk until combined. Set the mixture aside.

Combine the chili garlic sauce, honey and sesame oil. Mix well. Set the sauce aside.

Drain the calamari briefly in a sieve, then place them well spaced on paper towels for a few minutes to lose excess moisture.

Dredge the calamari rings, four at a time, in the flour mixture and set them on a dinner plate until you are ready to fry them.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot or 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet to 350 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer to be accurate.

Once the oil is ready, place 6 of the calamari rings into the oil and fry them for about 1 minute or until they are very lightly golden, agitating them slightly during frying with a slotted spoon.

Remove the fried calamari from the oil with the slotted spoon, place them on a paper towel lined bowl and salt them lightly.

Put the fried calamari rings into a 200 degrees F warming oven on a paper towel covered plate.

Repeat the frying steps with the remainder of the calamari, making sure the oil is at the right temperature first.

Toss the fried calamari with the Sweet & Spicy sauce and garnish it with the toasted sesame seeds, or, simply serve the calamari with the sauce alongside it for dipping.

Enjoy!