Sep 10 2008
Save it for the Holidays
A favourite of mine….but would it stand up to the Express effort?
- Quick Calamari with Garlic Mayonnaise
This recipe was on the ‘must do’ list long before the challenge came into being (and with it the dumping of 189 recipes on the ‘must do’ list) because calamari is one of my all time favourite foods. After a hot day on the beach or doing tourist sights I could eat this stuff with cold beer, squirted with lemon juice and dunked into aioli until the cows come home. The idea of being able to bring these delights to my own home, to dreich and dreary Scotland, made me near giddy with expectation!
Alas I was, for many months, unsucessful in finding frozen squid tubes. I kept being promised that fresh squid were available in Sainsbury’s but having no luck in actually purchasing them. All this changed last Friday, and the plans were set.
Much slicing and tossing in seasoned flour later, and we were ready to fry.
Because we don’t have a deep fat fryer, and didn’t want to burn the house down, we did the calamari in wee batches in a small saucepan of oil. It took a long time to fry up the whole batch (we also had oil temperature issues part way through) and consequently by the time we came to eat (with lemon wedges and garlic mayo which is practically aioli!) much of it was already cold.
Calamari isn’t really meant to be eaten cold. It goes a bit rubbery and yet also at the same time overly crunchy. The garlic mayo starts to dominate and feel a bit greasy. The inconsistencies between our inexpertly fried batches were a bit too noticable.
Perhaps all this would change if I had more practice at deep frying. I don’t really feel though, that deep frying is a skill I need or want to cultivate. So for the foreseeable future, I’ll save my Calamari cravings for sunny summer holiday, little cafes with cold lager and the sound of the sea nearby.
best enjoyed with the sound of the sea lapping at the quayside, or something…. wish wish
Aww. I’m so sorry you didn’t have a deep fat fryer (nor do I, who does? Lots of French people!) and that I wasn’t invited. That looks like a great meal. Beer and calamari, who needs more. If anyone wants to make their own aioli, stop on by my site. A bientot.
Wow, that aioli seems a bit more involved and authentic than our ‘take a tube of yellow french mayo and grate in some garlic’ technique. I shall have to try it sometime, I’m thinking perhaps with some fabulous Dougal-made French Bread and a lemony roast chicken. Mmmm I’m hungry already.
Thanks for dropping by!