Calamari with Garlic Mayonnaise

Bens been begging for us to cook some homemade calamari for well over a month now, but after keeping an eye out for some fresh squid we were only able to find some very sorry looking baby squids which wouldn’t really suffice. That was until we went to the Brighton Farmers Market on Saturday and found some lovely big fat squid, much better. Now, my relationship with the Brighton Farmers Market is a bit love hate. I always get over excited about trying out fresh organic produce, but the food we have got from there has been a bit hit and miss. Luckily this time around we were a lot more successful. The very nice fishman offered to prepare the squid for us, ie. Get rid of all the nasty bits you definitely don’t want to eat, and I’m glad we accepted the offer, goodness knows what we would have done with the thing otherwise. Once we got the squid home it was simple enough to chop it up into rings, then mix with flour and paprika before frying with groundnut oil.

The results really did take me back to long lazy days spent at vine smothered tavernas in Greece. Anyone who has read my Tzatziki post will know I have a bit of a soft spot for, in my opinion, one of the friendliest most beautiful places in the world. Calamari is a true staple of any Greek menu, sometimes served with just a squeeze of lemon, providing one of the simplest, yet tastiest dishes there is. Thankfully I don’t have to wait too long for my next Greece dose as I’m off to Corfu with my mum in just over two months time, Yay!!

Serves 2

2 medium sized fresh squid, prepared by the fishmonger and cut into 1cm thick squid rings, and the tentacles cut into bitesized pieces

a few good glugs of groundnut oil

2 tbsp cornflour

4 tbsp plain flour

1tsp salt

1tsp paprika

-For the Garlic Mayonnaise-

½ clove garlic, peeled and crushed

pinch paprika

100g mayonnaise

1. Put the cornflour, plain flour, paprika and salt into a plastic freezer bag, add the squid and toss to coat.
2. Heat the oil in a smallish frying pan, until it sizzles fiercely if you put a crumb in to the pan. Fry the squid in batches, 3 to 4 minutes per batch, until golden and crunchy.
3. Mix the garlic and paprika into the mayonnaise and serve with fried squid and a wedge of lemon.

Culinary Know How: SECOND YEAR

Budget: WE PAID £6 FOR THE SQUID, AROUND £2 FOR THE OTHER INGREDIENTS

Kitchen Requirements: FREEZER BAG, SMALL FRYING PAN.