Shabazi Fried Calamari
Crunchy and spiced with crispy slices of lemon, this calamari pairs well with cooling Harissa Honey yogurt sauce and sweet and tangy Pickled Green Grapes.
Category
Appetizer
Servings/Yield
4
Author
Helen Park
Crunchy and spiced with crispy slices of lemon, this calamari pairs well with cooling Harissa Honey yogurt sauce and sweet and tangy Pickled Green Grapes.
Ingredients
1 pound calamari, sliced thinly (tentacles kept whole separately)
1 lemon divided
Half sliced paper thin and seeds removed
Half cut into wedges for serving
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1 tsp fine sea salt
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1 tsp Shabazi blend for finishing
Oil for frying
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2 Tbsp Harissa Honey
2 Tbsp labne or Greek yogurt
1 cup chickpea flour
2 Tbsp corn starch
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2 tsp Shabazi blend
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1 tsp fine sea salt
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1 tsp black pepper, ground
Shabazi Fry Flour – mix well to combine and set aside
Directions
In a heavy bottom skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil to 350°F. Prepare a tray lined with paper towel or a cooling rack for draining your fried items as well as a spider or other tool to remove the items from the oil.
Rinse the sliced calamari under water until the water runs clear - drain well.
Wash the tentacles separately and drain well.
Toss the teaspoon of salt through the clean and drained slices and tentacles to season.
When the oil is ready, work in batches tossing the calamari slices into the Shabazi frying flour. Be sure to knock off excess flour before adding them to the oil. Excess flour will only burn in the oil and you could run out of flour before the lemons are done.
As the fried squid slices float and become a crispy golden brown, drain them well and move them to your draining area. Repeat until all slices are cooked.
For the tentacles, toss them well through the Shabazi frying flour, being sure to get into all the crevices before knocking off any excess. Once they have been added to the oil, stand back a bit – sometimes you will get 1 or 2 that like to pop or spatter.
As the fried squid tentacles float and become a crispy golden brown, drain them well and move them to your draining area. They take a bit longer to become crunchy and tender.
Finish the frying by coating the lemons with the frying flour mix. The lemons will fry better if well coated.
Slide them into the oil, careful not to let them overlap each other, and lower the oil to 325°F until any frying bubbles subside and the lemons are a crispy light brown color. Remove them to drain when they are ready.
While in a single layer on the draining tray, season the fried items with fine sea salt to taste and the remaining teaspoon of Shabazi blend.
Serve with Harissa Honey yogurt sauce, by mixing the equal parts together, as well as the Pickled Green Grapes and fresh lemon wedges.
Recipe Note
Recipe Notes
For the frying oil, I used a 12” skillet with about an inch of oil and an oil thermometer attached.
Note if using frozen cleaned calamari, only defrost them halfway before cutting. They are easier to slice while still a little stuck to one another and firm
The frying flour is very handy to have in your pantry – so make a big batch so it’s always ready for you.
Variations and Ideas
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
