Deep Fried Calamari With Garlic And Lemon Mayonnaise Recipes

Steps:

• Thoroughly rinse squid; pat dry. Cut into 1/4-inch rings; place in medium bowl. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves, the lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste; stir to coat. Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes to marinate.
• Meanwhile, in deep bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, the olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the red pepper and black pepper to taste. Slowly add beer, stirring gently until batter is smooth. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• In food processor, place mayonnaise, 1 garlic clove and the lemon juice. Cover; process until garlic is chopped and mixture is blended. Transfer to small bowl; season with salt and black pepper. Stir in basil. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.
• In deep fryer or heavy saucepan, heat 2 inches vegetable oil to 375°F. In shallow bowl, place remaining 1 cup flour. Dip squid rings in flour, shaking off excess, then coat completely with beer batter. Fry squid in batches in hot oil until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve calamari hot with Garlic-Lemon Mayonnaise.

Steps:

• For calamari: Soak the calamari pieces in the buttermilk in a bowl for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
• For the lemon aioli: Add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper to a medium bowl. Stir to combine and adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside until ready to serve.
• Preheat a deep-fryer or several inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the flour seasoning: Add the flour, paprika, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Drain the calamari and put into the flour mixture, making sure each piece gets coated with the flour. Dump all the contents into a colander and shake off any excess flour. Line a dish with paper towels and set aside.
• In batches, add the lemon slices and calamari to the preheated oil and fry, mixing with a slotted spoon to prevent the calamari from clumping together, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Right before you take the calamari and lemon out of the fryer, toss in the parsley leaves carefully; this will cook very fast and can splatter, so stand back. Take all the contents out of the fryer to the lined dish and season with salt.
• Serve with the aioli, garnished with the zest and chopped parsley.