Here is another for tapas party that I did without using a specific recipe. File this one under spicy! Traditional Spanish Tapas is never complete without a squid dish, but it is almost always fried and served with aioli. Since I was verging on grease overkill with a bacon item and a fried cheese item already on the menu, I decided to riff on an Italian theme (think Pasta Fra Diavolo) and do a lighter, sauteed version.
If you’ve never cooked with squid before, it’s really no big deal. The fishmarket will have done most of the heavy lifting for you in terms of cleaning – all you really need to do is give them a good rinse after you cut them into 1/2 inch rings. Be sure to drain out the rinse water in a strainer. For this recipe you can opt either for just the bodies ( as I did) or a combination of bodies and tentacles.
Heat some olive oil in a pan on medium heat and cook 3-4 chopped garlic cloves until they are translucent and beginning to brown. Add your calamari rings (and tentacles if you desire). Add 4 tablespoons of a high-quality concentrated tomato paste, two dried and crushed red peppers (you may also substitute three tablespoons of red pepper flakes), salt, and crushed black pepper to taste.
Saute on medium heat, for 10 minutes stirring occasionally to distribute contents evenly. The squid will begin to shrink slightly and the edges of the rings will being to roll up a bit. Watch for the squid to lose some of their original glossiness and brown a bit. The tomato paste and liquids in the pan should be simmering. In the final two minutes, add a handful of roughly chopped Italian parsley. Remove from heat and top with more parsley to serve. This one was light and delicious – I would serve it again as a quick main for during the week, either over pasta or on its own.
Spicy Sauteed Calamari
1 pound squid (full-bodies or a mix of bodies and tentacles)
3 dried red peppers (or substitute three tablespoons red pepper flakes)
4 tablespoons high-quality concentrated tomato paste
3 – 4 cloves of garlic
Italian parsley
Olive oil
salt and ground black pepper
6 Comments
Love it, is a must try while the fam is in town next week. Speaking of, any plans of posting possible ideas for Thanksgiving and the days that surround? I’m definitely going to use your tapas dishes for a night or two, but life would be so much easier if I could just plan all of my daily menus based on your posts…
I think there should be a ‘moron’s corner’ with much much simpler stuff. Say for instance I wanted to make a really nice dish but scared of my pots and pans… WHAT DO I DO? Last night I tried to make chicken parm with a side of brocolli over butter and garlic sauce…I ended up ordering from Empanada Mama…
I’ve never cooked squid before… tried this and it worked brilliantly! So glad I stumbled on your blog while recipe searching.
sounds good
WOW, clearly a typo…should be three(3) teaspoons and NOT three (3) TABLESPOONS of red pepper flakes
@dennyp13@optonline.net
Not a typo, but feel free to adjust to suit your taste – that’s what cooking is all about!