Deep fried calamari with Dijon cream

The joy of this deep-fried calamari rings recipe is that by deep-frying the squid quickly in a protective coating of ultra-crispy Panko breadcrumbs, you can ensure that it is perfectly cooked with an exquisitely tender texture. This calamari is simple to make at home for an enjoyable seafood starter to any meal.

Starter

Chef: Adam Gray

2020-04-25T00:00:00+01:00

Ingredients

CALAMARI

600g of squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned and dried
250g of Panko breadcrumbs, ground in a blender
4 eggs, beaten
250g of flour
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp of parsley, chopped
salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
vegetable oil

DIJON CREAM

250ml of white wine
500ml of double cream
1 shallot, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
3 tbsp of Dijon mustard
1 tbsp of Pommery mustard

VINAIGRETTE

30ml of white wine vinegar
40ml of olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
salt

BABY GEM LETTUCE AND TOMATO SALAD

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
4 heads of baby gem lettuce
sea salt

Method

Slice the squid tubes into 3mm-thick rings, cut the tentacles into manageable pieces and season with salt
600g of squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned and dried
salt
Dip the pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in the egg, shaking off the excess. Coat in the breadcrumbs, place on a clean, dry tray and set aside
- 1g of flour
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 250g of Panko breadcrumbs, ground fine in a blender
For the Dijon cream, put the sliced shallots and garlic in a pan. Add the wine and reduce by three-quarters, then add the cream and reduce by half. Strain into a clean pan, whisk in the mustards then season to taste
- 1 shallot, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 250ml of white wine
- 500ml of double cream
- 3 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp of Pommery mustard
- salt
To make the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar, olive oil and mustard together, then add Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste
- 30ml of white wine vinegar
- 40ml of olive oil
- 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
- salt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds, then into ice-cold water, then peel them. Put them in a bowl, add the vinaigrette and season with sea salt. Set aside for 10-20 minutes
- 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
- sea salt
Wash the baby gem leaves, dry thoroughly and set aside
- 4 heads of baby gem lettuce
To serve, heat a pan of vegetable oil or a table-top fryer to 200˚C/Gas mark 6. Cook the squid till golden then season with salt and lemon juice
- salt
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- vegetable oil
Heat the Dijon cream in a small pan. Put the squid in a large bowl, add some of the cream and toss until the squid is lightly coated. Don’t add too much or it will become soggy. Toss in the red onion and parsley
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp of parsley
Break up the lettuce into two-inch thick pieces and toss with vinaigrette. Arrange the leaves and tomatoes on the plates, and top with the crispy squid

Great British Chefs - Martin Wishart