Calamari fritti

Is there any better way to eat squid, than fried? This crispy calamari from Adam Liaw gets an Aussie twist, adding a little sprinkling of dried lemon myrtle to the flour coating, creating a bright, citrussy note.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 700 g whole squid, cleaned
• ½ cup semolina flour
• ¼ cup plain flour
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp dried lemon myrtle (optional)
• Salt and black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve
• Japanese mayonnaise, lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Cut the tube of the squid into rings. In a large bowl, combine the squid with the flours, dried herbs and spices and season well with salt and black pepper. Toss lightly to combine.
2. Heat enough oil to deep-fry in a large saucepan to 175˚C. Deep fry the squid in batches for about 2 minutes until crisp and cooked through. Remove from the hot oil to a wire rack and season with salt and pepper again.
3. Transfer the calamari fritti to a large serving platter and garnish with parsley. Serve with Japanese mayonnaise and lemon wedges on the side.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.