One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍
I mean, I might have a slight obsession but also m I mean, I might have a slight obsession but also my lips are never chapped, so there’s that. 😂 And this is only one of my refill stashes. When I was in middle school, I had literally THE WORST chapped lips ever. Like a complete red ring around my top and bottom lips. I don’t think that’s where my lip balm obsession started, but it certainly didn’t help. Jersey winters are no joke (or our hot summers), so don’t mind me while I just add to my collection. What’s your fave?
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

OMG Fried Calamari

March 30, 2009 · Narrative

OMG Calamari
It was only a few years ago that I really discovered calamari.  Oh I had tried it way before then, but it was hard and rubbery.  And those tentacles?  No thank you!  But then The Husband and I were out at a restaurant, and the waitress passed by with a plate heaped with fried calamari.  All of the sudden, I wanted some.  They smelled amazing and something just said, “order them.”  And so began my love affair with fried calamari.  It was that night that I learned that true fried calamari, good fried calamari should melt in your mouth like butter.  And that order did.

The Husband discovered his love for fried calamari that day too.  And since then, upon occasion when we’re eating out, we try the calamari.  Except for that restaurant, we have yet to find it as good.  Even though we don’t live nearby anymore, we still occasionally head back to that restaurant, just for their calamari.

This past Friday, I was struggling with deciding on what to make for dinner.  Fridays during Lent are meat-free.  For some reason, I usually forget and am scrambling at the last minute to nix the meat-laden menu or plans we had, and trying to find quick fish and seafood substitutes.  This time, we decided to have a mini seafood feast like the New Years’ Eve ones that we love so much.  I’ve never made calamari before, but decided on a whim to give it a try as part of our last minute feast.

Had I known it was this easy, I would have made it a long time ago.  The hardest part of the recipe?  Not eating it all.  Even though we both avoid the tentacles, the calamari was so good, The Husband even ate those.  It was that good.  And Madeline?  She had her first taste of calamari.  And her second.  She seemed to like it, but Nick wanted no part of it.

Looking for your next OMG recipe?  Need something meat-free?  Whatever the reason, or just because, you can’t go wrong with this one.  Crispy, delicious and melt-in-your-mouth good.  I think we have the next contender for New Years’ Eve.  But I guarantee you we won’t be waiting that long to have it again.

Fried Calamari
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

1 pound fresh calamari (tubes and tentacles), rinsed and sliced into rings (about 1/2″ wide)
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground paprika
vegetable oil

Soak the calamari in the buttermilk for at least one hour.  Combine the flour with the salt, pepper and paprika in a medium bowl.  Remove the calamari from the buttermilk and shake off a bit of the excess.  Dredge the calamari in the flour mixture, keeping all the pieces separate.  Shake off the excess flour.

Pour oil to a depth of about 2 inches in a deep pan.  Heat to 365 or until bubbles form on the end of a wooden spoon handle inserted in the pan (can you tell I don’t use thermometers?).  Fry calamari, in batches, for about 1 minute or until done, turning after 30 seconds.  Make sure to not crowd the pan.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with fresh squeezed lemon.

Cate’s Note:  I like the pureness of just salt and pepper as the flavoring, but you could certainly add more to the flour to change up the seasoning … for example, lemon pepper or Old Bay would work well also.

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Comments

  1. RecipeGirl says

    March 30, 2009 at 9:29 pm

    Are you pregnant again? Just kidding :)

    We absolutely love fried calamari- have never thought of making it at home though. Sounds wonderful! Kiddo likes it too. I still have quite a hard time with the pieces that are like tentacles though. Can’t quite get over that!

    RecipeGirls last blog post..How to Make Homemade Alfajores

    Reply
  2. Stacey Snacks says

    March 30, 2009 at 9:39 pm

    This stuff is dangerous…….I could eat it all!

    Next time, try it with a cornmeal crust, and save the tentacles for me! I love them!

    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    March 30, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    That sounds amazingly easy….I hate the tentacles too, but I might have to suck it up and try this one Friday. Soooo yum looking. Well, either that or drive to your neck of the woods for a taste ;)

    Sarahs last blog post..Simple Pleasure: The Easy Tuna Salad

    Reply
  4. Lesley says

    March 31, 2009 at 6:36 am

    I can’t say that I’ve had much calamari but you’re making it sound preeeeetty good!! ; )

    Lesleys last blog post..Fire-Roasted Steak Asparagus Alfredo

    Reply
  5. Patsy says

    March 31, 2009 at 8:24 am

    Love that you made it at home and had great results! Both of my boys will gobble up calamari when given the chance… they’ll skip the tentacles as well (me, too!).

    Patsys last blog post..Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins

    Reply
  6. Cathy @ Chief Family Officer says

    March 31, 2009 at 9:45 am

    My recipe is even easier – I soak the calamari in buttermilk, then dredge in cornmeal (or half cornmeal, half flour), fry, and then season generously with fine sea salt. My kids love it too, and a one-pound bag of calamari disappears almost instantly between the four of us. Thank you for reminding me that I should make this really soon!

    Cathy @ Chief Family Officers last blog post..How Toddlers’ Brains Work

    Reply
  7. Kris says

    March 31, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    Loved fried calamari!

    The Godfather in East Hanover has the best. We go for fried calamari, tri colored salad and bruschetta pizza

    Reply
  8. Sara says

    March 31, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    I love fried calamari. It seems like almost every restaurant has that as a throw away easy appetizer on their menu, but it is almost always lackluster. Yours look perfect!

    Saras last blog post..How to Make Oven Baked Potato or Hash Brown Cakes

    Reply
  9. Chrissy says

    March 31, 2009 at 10:16 pm

    I LOVE calamari. After having it cooked perfectly, it’s always so disappointing when you order it and it’s overcooked. Making it at home seems like a good solution!

    Reply
  10. Elyse says

    April 1, 2009 at 1:35 am

    The name alone sounds delicious! “OMG”…how could these not be amazing, and boy, do they look amazing!! I love crispy, melt-in-your-mouth calamari. But, I’ve never actually tried to make them myself. You’ve totally inspired me to try this recipe out!

    Elyses last blog post..Toddy’s first foray into baking…

    Reply
  11. Cynthia says

    April 1, 2009 at 10:11 am

    Fried calamari done right is out of this world! I’m so glad that you and the Husband loved it.

    Cynthias last blog post..My Char Siu & Siew Yuk

    Reply
  12. Denise Lew says

    April 1, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    Hello,
    Do you have a Twitter page?

    Thanks!
    Denise

    Reply
  13. MsGourmet says

    April 1, 2009 at 5:01 pm

    We are a family of calamari eaters – we just love it! I just lightly dust it in semolina, fry in good olive oil, squeeze of lemon and done :)

    MsGourmets last blog post..Green and Red salad with lemon dressing

    Reply
  14. The Sister In-Law says

    April 1, 2009 at 6:38 pm

    I love calamari especially the tentacles!!

    SIL

    Reply
  15. sharon says

    April 1, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    I shunned calamari for a good portion of my life, but finally saw the light a few years ago. Now, hubby and I order it at almost every good restaurant we go to. Probably not the healthiest approach but at least we agree on it!

    Reply
  16. glowha says

    February 2, 2010 at 10:21 am

    After reading the recipe and all the comments from the different readers….today is Calamari dinner at home! Thank you for the OMG recipe and the variations listed by the readers.

    Reply
  17. Maria says

    December 14, 2011 at 9:17 am

    your calamari looks amazing, can you make it in a deep fryer or do you just suggest making it in a pan?

    Reply

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One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛

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One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍
I mean, I might have a slight obsession but also m I mean, I might have a slight obsession but also my lips are never chapped, so there’s that. 😂 And this is only one of my refill stashes. When I was in middle school, I had literally THE WORST chapped lips ever. Like a complete red ring around my top and bottom lips. I don’t think that’s where my lip balm obsession started, but it certainly didn’t help. Jersey winters are no joke (or our hot summers), so don’t mind me while I just add to my collection. What’s your fave?

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