Fried Calamari with Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Crispy tender Fried Calamari served with a Creamy Chipotle Sauce (Calamares Fritos) and fried to golden perfection. Easy, quick to make and delicious!
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4
Calories: 300kcal
- 1 lb fresh or frozen squid rinsed under cool water
- 1 cup milk or buttermilk
- 1½ cup flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dry oregano
- ¾ salt or to taste
- ½ pepper
- corn, vegetable or peanut oil for frying
Creamy Chipotle Sauce
- 1 chipotle peppers chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped or 2 teaspoon of garlic puree
- ½ lemon or lime juiced
- pinch of salt
Cilantro Vinaigrette (Optional)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Garlic Aioli Sauce (Optional)
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 -3 fresh garlic cloves minced
- 2-2½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley optional
For Fresh Squid
Rinse squid under cold running water. Separate the body from the tentacles with a knife.
Cut body (mantle) of squid into ½ inch rings and cut tentacles into two to three pieces.
Add milk with a teaspoon of salt to a bowl followed by the rings and tentacles. Let soak for 20 minutes or an hour.
Drain the rings through a colander and set aside for a few minutes while you get the flour mixture together.
For Frozen Squid
Thaw the frozen squid overnight in the refrigerator or in a bowl of cold water if making immediately.
Once defrosted, rinse the squid under cool water. Add milk with a teaspoon of salt to a bowl followed by the rings. Let soak for 20 minutes or an hour.
Drain the rings through a colander and set aside for a few minutes while you get the flour mixture together.
Cooking the Calamari
In a fryer or heavy pot, add about two inches of oil and heat to 375 F (190 Celsius). Note: Preheat your oven to 150° degrees to keep your rings warm while you are frying batches. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper, oregano and paprika to a bowl. Mix using a fork or whisk.
Add a few rings to the flour mixture and coat. Using a colander, shake the excess flour off the rings. When the oil is hot, add a few calamari rings to the oil to fry. Fry for 2 minutes on one side then flip them over. Cook for another 2 minutes. Drain rings on a plate lined with paper towels. Season the rings with salt and then place them on a baking tray and keep warm in the oven. Proceed with frying the next batch. Serve with Creamy Chipotle sauce and serve immediately. Sprinkle Cilantro Vinaigrette (optional) over top of calamari.
Creamy Chipotle Sauce and
Add the chipotle peppers, mayonnaise, lemon, garlic and pinch of salt to a food chopper and blend unto well combined. Add salt to taste. Set aside.
Garlic Aioli Sauce (Bonus Dipping Sauce)
Serving: 4g | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 320mg | Sodium: 672mg | Potassium: 451mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 995IU | Vitamin C: 13.5mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1.5mg