ARCHIVES: SQUID, INC: What’s cooking today: Calamari rings, deep fried
Calamari and I have a chequered history. Too hot and it’s ruined, not hot enough and it’s ruined. Cook too long and it’s rubbery, but too little time can spoil it too. In the worst-case scenario, a calamari ring that starts out the size of a bangle comes out the size of a hair scrunchy.Cook it either very quickly or for a long time; either up to two minutes at a very high heat or 30 minutes to an hour and low.
advises measuring the critter’s body first. Five inches or less, cook it quickly, any bigger, take your time. Par boil rings in rapidly boiling water for less than a minute, plunge into iced water, then marinate and fry later. Don’t overcrowd the frying pan. Like pieces of beef, they need space between them; elbow room if you like.
Pound the rings gently before cooking. That’s Martha Stewart talking, Not for me: I don’t pound anything in the kitchen. Get someone else to cook it for you, pull up a seat at the table and put a bib on while you wait. That’s probably my best advice.