Calamares a la Romana

Calamares a la Romana

Crisp, golden battered squid rings served with lemon — the iconic tapa found in bars and chiringuitos all along Spain's coast.

Prep

15 min

Cook

10 min

Total

25 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) cleaned squid tubes, small to medium tubes, bodies only
• •150 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose wheat flour
• •2 whole (2 large) eggs
• •60 ml (¼ cup) cold sparkling water, keeps the batter light; substitute cold still water if needed
• •500 ml (2 cups) mild olive oil, or a 50/50 blend with sunflower oil for a more neutral fry, as many bars do
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges for serving
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt

Steps

1. 1 Pat the squid tubes very dry with paper towels, inside and out. Slice into rings about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) wide. Leave any small tentacles whole. Season lightly with salt and set aside — the salt helps draw off any remaining moisture.
2. 2 Make the batter just before frying: whisk the eggs with the cold sparkling water, then sift in the flour and stir with a fork or whisk only until smooth and lump-free. The batter should coat the back of a spoon but still drip off easily; rest 5 minutes. (Some Spanish kitchens use a flour-and-egg dip without water for a thicker, craggy crust — both are authentic.)
3. 3 Pour the olive oil into a deep pan to a depth of about 3 cm (1¼ inches) and heat to 175–180 °C (350 °F). If you don't have a thermometer, drop in a small cube of bread; it should turn deep golden in about 30 seconds.
4. 4 Working in small batches, toss a handful of squid rings in a bowl of plain flour to coat them lightly, shake off the excess, then dip into the batter and lower straight into the hot oil.
5. 5 Fry for 60–90 seconds total, turning once, until the batter is pale golden and crisp and the squid just curls — overcooking makes it rubbery. Do not crowd the pan; the oil temperature should stay above 170 °C (340 °F).
6. 6 Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a wire rack (not paper towels, which steam the crust). Sprinkle immediately with a pinch of fine salt. Repeat with the remaining squid.
7. 7 Serve straight away on warm plates with lemon wedges for squeezing over, and a small bowl of allioli or mayonnaise alongside. Eat hot — calamares a la romana do not keep well.