Fried Calamari

I've enjoyed fried calamari for as long as I can remember. Back when people went to restaurants (remember those?), Ariel and I often shared a plate for an appetizer. I recently started experimenting with making calamari at home. Crunch is the difference between mediocre and great calamari, so I've tried a few different ways to coat the squid. Lately, I've been using potato starch, which is the basis of this post. Potato starch is a useful Passover thickener, but it has its place all year round.

I got the idea of using potato starch from making karaage -- Japanese fried chicken. The potato starch gives the calamari a great crunch, just as it does for chicken. At first, I thought this was a great innovation on my part, but it turns out karaage can be made with all sorts of things, squid included. Even if I didn't invent this dish, it's still a good one. It works best to dredge the squid a few pieces at a time. I have also tried adding the starch directly to the bowl of squid, but all the liquid turns it into a goopy batter that doesn't stick to the squid.

The squid I use come from Thailand. I get the 2 pound box from a Chinese store for $15. The size of these squid is about perfect for the classic fried calamari. They come cleaned already, so all you have to do is cut them up. This recipe makes a big platter, which was more than enough for dinner. While they are best eaten immediately, the leftovers reheated decently in the toaster oven.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. whole cleaned squid
• 6 oz. potato starch
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil
• Lemon wedges

Instructions

Defrost the squid in the refrigerator overnight. To prepare each squid, pull the head out of the body. Remove the two long tentacles, leaving the shorter arms intact. Cut just behind the arms, and discard the rest of the head. Cut the body into rings. Continue until all squid are broken down.

Place potato starch in a dish. Grind black pepper all over (no need to measure) and mix together with a spoon.

Heat up oil for deep frying in a wok or other pot to 375 degrees F. Working in batches, shake excess water off squid pieces, dredge in potato starch, and drop into the hot oil. Shake off excess potato starch from squid and hands to avoid getting it into the oil. Cook each batch until light golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Use a spider to transfer to a serving platter. I saved the arm pieces for the final batch so the most visually interesting pieces end up on the top of the platter.

Taste the squid and salt if needed. The squid I use have a natural saltiness, so I don't add any. Serve with lemon wedges and a dipping sauce, if desired. We used a mix of Kewpie mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.