Chef Dimitra
Athenian Bakaliaros Tiganitos me Skordalia (Μπακαλιάρος Τηγανητός με Σκορδαλιά)
Athenian March 25 salt cod, crisp in a puffed beer batter and served with garlic skordalia, the Lenten fish dish Greece keeps for Annunciation day.
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Aegean Island Kalamarakia Tiganita (Καλαμαράκια Τηγανητά)
Created by
Aegean island fried squid is flour, hot oil, lemon, and nerve. Fry it for a minute or two, no longer, and it stays tender under its crisp coat.
Appetizers & Snacks
Greek
Dinner Party
Outdoor Dining
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
10 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings as a meze
Kalamarakia tiganita belong to the Aegean islands and every working harbor where small squid comes in bright-eyed and clean-smelling. The dish is simple because the sea is doing most of the work: squid rings, a dry flour coat, hot oil, lemon. Nothing more has been invited.
The one rule is speed. Squid turns tough when it lingers, so the oil must be hot before it goes in and the batch must be small enough that the heat doesn't collapse. A minute or two is not a suggestion here. It is the difference between tender squid and a plate of rubber bands with lemon.
I flour it at the last moment, shake it hard, and fry it pale gold, not dark brown. That is the taverna plate I trust on a July table by the water, with salt on your fingers and a cold glass beside it. Λίγα και καλά: good squid, dry flour, hot oil, lemon.
Kalamarakia tiganita grew from the coastal and island kitchens of Greece, where squid was a common catch and frying was the quickest way to turn small seafood into meze. In the Aegean, the plain flour coating separates it from heavier battered versions found in other port cultures. It also belongs naturally to fasting tables, since shellfish and squid are permitted during many Orthodox fast days when meat, dairy, and fish with backbones are not.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
cleaned small squid (kalamarakia)
Quantity
700g
bodies cut into 1cm rings, tentacles left whole
all-purpose flour
Quantity
180g
fine semolina
Quantity
30g
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
plus more for finishing
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
olive oil or neutral frying oil
Quantity
700ml
lemons
Quantity
2
cut into wedges
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cleaned small squid (kalamarakia)bodies cut into 1cm rings, tentacles left whole | 700g |
| all-purpose flour | 180g |
| fine semolina | 30g |
| fine sea saltplus more for finishing | 1 teaspoon |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| olive oil or neutral frying oil | 700ml |
| lemonscut into wedges | 2 |
Equipment Needed
- •heavy wide frying pan, 28cm
- •deep-fry thermometer
- •wire rack set over a tray
- •spider or wide slotted spoon
Instructions
- 1
Dry the squid
Pat the squid very dry with kitchen paper, inside the rings as well as outside. Leave it on a towel for 10 minutes while you set up the flour. Wet squid makes the coating clump and spits in the oil, and then you blame the pan when the poor thing did nothing wrong.
- 2
Season the flour
Mix the flour, fine semolina, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. The semolina is not a batter. It gives the flour a little sandy edge, the way many island cooks like it, but the squid should still taste of squid.
- 3
Heat the oil
Pour the oil into a heavy pan to a depth of about 3cm and heat it to 180C. If you don't have a thermometer, drop in a pinch of flour: it should sizzle at once and float, not sink sadly to the bottom.
- 4
Flour in batches
Toss a handful of squid in the flour mixture just before frying, then shake off every bit of loose flour. Don't flour the whole bowl ahead of time. The salt draws moisture from the squid, the coating turns pasty, and crispness is gone before the oil even sees it.
Use one hand for wet squid and one for flour. It keeps the coating light instead of building paste on your fingers. - 5
Fry hot
Fry the squid in small batches for 60 to 90 seconds, just until pale gold and lightly crisp. The method that decides kalamarakia is heat and speed: squid is tender at the beginning and tender again after a long stew, but the middle is rubber. For fried squid, you stay at the beginning.
- 6
Drain and serve
Lift the squid with a spider or slotted spoon onto a rack or paper-lined tray. Salt lightly while hot. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, and let people squeeze their own lemon at the table so the crust doesn't soften before it reaches them.
Chef Tips
- •Buy small squid if you can. The flesh is sweeter and the rings cook before the coating darkens. If the fishmonger has only large squid, slice it a little thinner and watch the clock like a strict aunt.
- •Fresh squid should smell clean, faintly of the sea, never sharp. Frozen cleaned squid is acceptable if it was frozen well, but thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and dry it with more care.
- •Serve kalamarakia at once. Fried squid waits for nobody, not even the person still looking for the good plate.
Advance Preparation
- •Clean and cut the squid up to 6 hours ahead, then keep it covered in the refrigerator.
- •Pat the squid dry 30 minutes before frying and return it to the refrigerator uncovered on a towel-lined tray.
- •Mix the flour coating up to 1 day ahead, but flour the squid only at the last moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 190g)
Calories
450 calories
Total Fat
25 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
410 mg
Sodium
750 mg
Total Carbohydrates
26 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
29 g
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