{"id":1945,"date":"2026-05-08T22:12:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T22:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.cherrychapters.com\/theflavorindex\/?p=1945"},"modified":"2026-05-08T22:12:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T22:12:46","slug":"fried-calamari-better-than-your-favorite-italian-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.cherrychapters.com\/theflavorindex\/2026\/05\/08\/fried-calamari-better-than-your-favorite-italian-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"Fried Calamari (Better Than Your Favorite Italian Restaurant)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Bad calamari is chewy rubber. Good calamari is a revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This fried calamari is light, shatteringly crisp, and tender inside. The secret? Super-hot oil, a quick fry, and a cornmeal-dredge that stays crunchy. Plate it with marinara and lemon. You just beat your local red-checkered-tablecloth joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ingredients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Serves 4 as appetizer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
1 lb (450g) calamari rings and tentacles, thawed if frozen<\/li>\n\n\n\n
1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
1 cup all-purpose flour<\/li>\n\n\n\n
\u00bd cup cornmeal (for extra crunch)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
1 teaspoon salt (plus more for finishing)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Do Not Refrigerate Leftovers (Seriously)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Fried calamari becomes chewy and sad within hours. Make only what you’ll eat immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prep Ahead Instead:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Soak calamari in buttermilk up to 4 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Mix dry dredge up to 1 week ahead, stored in a bag or jar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Reheat Fail:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There’s no good way to reheat fried calamari. Air fryer helps a little, but fresh is the only real answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Crispy, tender, and addictively salty. These fried calamari rings come out perfectly golden every time\u2014never rubbery. Skip the frozen bag. Do this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[1504,1608,1499,1609,1500,1611,1610],"class_list":["post-1945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quick_meals","tag-calamari-rings","tag-crispy-calamari-recipe","tag-fried-calamari","tag-how-to-fry-calamari","tag-italian-appetizer","tag-restaurant-style-calamari-2","tag-seafood-appetizer"],"yoast_head":"\n
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