My crispy and crunchy baked calamari will surprise you just how easy and simple it is to make. In the summer time in Italy Calamari is used in many wonderful creative ways. Italy is a Peninsula so the geographic location causes it to be surrounded by water on three sides. Add to that the beautiful Italian islands and It is no wonder Italians love fish and consume it as part of a healthy mediterranean diet on a regular basis. Straight from the sea and on the table the same day.
The most important first step is to buy the freshest Calamari you can find.
It is important I emphasize this step all the time. No ingredient or special step in cooking will cover up ingredients that is not the freshest you can find. Begin by searching your local grocery store or find out if there is a fresh fish store near you. You may be surprised how close one may be to you.
The first step in making calamari dish is to first clean the fish very well and pull the flexible bone out from the inside. You then will want to remove the eyes. Rinse in cold water and cut the calamari into circles. Allow to soak with a little bit of fresh squeezed lemon in the cold water, while you prepare the breadcrumbs.
I find using fresh homemade breadcrumbs makes a huge difference with the final out come of this crunchy and crispy baked calamari.
This is a step some people might choose to skimp on. Italian cooking is always about using the freshest and aromatic ingredients you can find. Simple yet every ingredient plays a key roll in the final out come. Use a nice loaf of your favorite Italian bread. On a cutting board cut it up into chunky squares. Add the fresh parsley, capers and place in the food processor until nicely blended.
In a bowl toss together the bread crumb mixture with the clean calamari, tomatoes and olives.
Before tossing everything together, be sure to remove the calamari from the water it was soaking in with the lemon. place them on a dry clean cotton kitchen towel or use paper towels and pat them dry to remove as much of the excess water as possible this will allow the breadcrumbs to adhere to the calamari more evenly and to help get that nice crunch in the oven while baking.
Using a cooking sheet round or square, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the baking area. Place on top. Now it is time to transfer your calamari that is coated in the breadcrumb mixture onto your baking sheet. Spread it out evenly and drizzle generously all over with a good olive oil. At this point lights salt and pepper the calamari before placing them into the oven.
Crispy Crunchy Baked Calamari with Cherry Tomatoes and Black Olives
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Calamari
- 15 cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)
- 15 dried Italian black olives (remove pitt)
- 1/2 loaf Italian bread cut in cubes
- 2 tbs fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp capers
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Clean calamari thoroughly and cut into circles, let soak in cold water with one or two lemon wedges squeezed
- Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Now let's make the homemade bread crumbs. On a cutting board cut the bread into cubes, rough chop parsley, capers and garlic, then place into food processor and blend until it has a nice fine crumbly consistency. Set aside.
- Remove the calamari from the cold water and pat dry on a clean cotton kitchen towel or fresh paper towels. Allow the excess water to be soaked up. Place in a mixing bowl, add in the cherry tomatoes and dried black olives. Then add the homemade bread crumb mixture and gently toss well together. Making sure it is well distributed evenly. You can use a spoon or clean hands work great.
- Prepare a baking sheet by cutting the same size parchment paper then place on top. Brush with olive oil, then slowly and evenly place the calamari evenly on the baking sheet. Generously drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then salt and pepper all over the calamari.
- Place in the center rack and allow to back at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes depending on your oven and altitude. Check a crispy golden look after 18 minutes. Remove from oven, serve while hot, crunchy and crispy!
