Who is the Foodie? It doesn’t really matter. Bacon is god. Wine cures anything. If you believe those two facts, then we’re going to get on fine. This means you have discovered the power of food to make life better. This knowledge is imperative to the art of living well.Calamari.
Posted in Recipes, Side orders on 27. Jul, 2010
Calamari is the bacon of the sea to me. Battered and fried, grilled over coals or just served in a pasta, it’s always good. But many people I meet seem scared to work with it, which shouldn’t be the case. Getting fresh calamari is pretty hard, so if you’re a keen calamari eater and want to cook some, you’re probably going to have to settle for frozen. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Most restaurants use the same. Just avoid calamari rings. Patagonian calamari is the good stuff. Get your hands on this and you’re set for a good meal. The German Butcher on Kloof Street sells it. He’s worth another post all together though- watch this space.
Cleaning calamari is a four-step process. Follow the steps below next time you end up with some whole calamari, with the head and tentacles intact, and you’ll be set to make something great. Sauteed calamari with chili, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil takes about 5 minutes and a 95-year old Sardinian man with one arm could do it behind his back. A good one to start your calamari cooking journey with.
The 4 Step Program (not a substitute for the 12-step program):
1. Rip the head from the body. It should come off with some entrails, set this all aside.
2. Pull the fins off the body. Best done downwards so you can take as much skin off at the same time. You want all the blueish skin off the body.
3. Clean the inside. Pull as much of the intestines out as you can, then turn the calamari body inside out. This is the best way to ensure everything is out of there. Make sure the transparent ‘quill’ is out. Wash the whole thing well and turn inside out again to return to original form.
4. Cut the tentacles from the head, just before the eyes. Discard the rest and wash the tentacles clean (you won’t get the blue skin off them, but it’s okay), making sure the beak is gone. There should be a nice hole there.
You’ve done it. You’re ready to cook ‘em. Enjoy.
Oh my, I’m still a bit scared. I think I might get the German butcher in Kloof Street to do my dirty work for me. Splendid site, btw – viva the Foodie!
I in fact made my first calamari meal last night. Used frozen steak from food lovers (it was R12 for 2 steaks!) Cut it into strips and sauteed it with garlic, chilli, coriander and lemon. It was delicious, easy and ready 5 minutes. I am definitely going to be cooking it more.
You couldn’t have made me more squirmish foodie. I love my calamari but you lost me at the ripping off of the head bit. I’ll gladly settle for the grouchy tannies at the gordons bay fishery or kalkys in kalk bay anyday for a way cleaner quick fix, sollie!
Hi, thanks, this was very useful. I had a disastrous result tonight, frying Patagonian calamari in olive oil, even though I’ve done it before with great success. I can only buy frozen here in Greece. I’m interested to know why you instruct pulling off the fins and most of the skin ? Does this affect the end result. they’re so blooming small and this is a task that would take aeons. 1kg yields between 20-30 little critters. My calamari yielded tons of juice tonight and wouldn’t fry.