Calamari Special

This is one of the nicest and best tasting calamari recipes that I have eaten. I find that the calamari is not tough as I have experienced in many restaurants. A friend Chef and I developed this marvelous recipe that is so easy to prepare.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb  frozen  calamari or 1⁄2 lb  fresh  calamari
• 1⁄2 cup  whole milk, homogenized
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 cup  japanese panko breadcrumbs or 1⁄4 cup  regular  fine dry breadcrumb
• 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil (for frying)
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon sambal oelek (red hot pepper flakes sauce)

Directions

1. Firstly, prepare a deep-fryer with a good vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees F, or use a medium size deep frying pan on high heat.
2. Defrost calamari and rinse under cold running water.
3. Cut calamari into 1/4 inch strips. If using fresh calamari, just cut into 1/4 inch strips. Pat dry calamari with paper towels.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together flour and Panko bread crumbs.
5. Add milk to a bowl and dip calamari in the milk.
6. Toss calamari strips in flour/crumb mixture just to coat. You do not want to have a heavy coating as it could drop off when frying.
7. Flash fry coated calamari in prepared deep-fryer or frying pan for about 15 seconds, deep frying in small amounts.
8. In a frying pan, heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to medium-high heat.
9. Add garlic and Sambal Oelek and stir well, cover with a screen to prevent oil from spattering or splashing.
10. Sauté flash-fried calamari for about 1 minute or until nicely light brown. Do not over fry as it could get chewy.
11. Serve calamari with your favorite dip.