This easy to make Fried Calamari recipe is served with a simple, spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce.

Fried calamari is one of those things that you see quite often on a restaurant menu. It’s listed in the appetizer section, and how delicious it is all depends on how the restaurant prepares it. We order it almost every time we see it. I’ve been making this version of fried calamari at home for years. It’s nice to have on hand because we happen to like it a lot!

Look for fresh calamari in your market’s fresh seafood section. I recommend going to a market that tends to have really good seafood. Alternately, if you have a good seafood market then that’s even better! Pick up tubes and tentacles (because that’s how they come). I will only eat the tubes (it’s a visual thing for me), but my husband will pick up the slack and eat the tentacles!

Ingredients needed:

• mayonnaise
• Sriracha sauce
• fresh calamari
• buttermilk
• all purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• paprika
• vegetable or canola oil

How to make sauce for calamari:

The sauce we’re using for dipping here is a spicy mayonnaise. It’s literally just mayonnaise combined with some Sriracha sauce, and it turns out to be the perfect dipping sauce for fried calamari! You’ll want to make this first, and then refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve the calamari.

How to make Fried Calamari:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Drain the fried calamari on paper towels, and serve with the spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce.

These fried calamari turn out golden and crisp. The spicy dipping sauce is a perfect pairing for this comfort food. Enjoy!

The Best Seafood Appetizer Recipes:

• Shrimp Ceviche
• Crostini with Clams
• Crab Rangoon Dip
• Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons
• Salmon Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Print

Fried Calamari with Spicy Mayonnaise

This fried calamari with spicy mayonnaise is nothing short of delicious.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Latin

Keyword calamari

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Chill Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings 12 appetizer servings

Calories 285kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (adapted from Coastal Living)

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise (low fat is fine)
• 3 teaspoons Sriracha or Thai garlic-chili sauce
• 2 pounds fresh calamari (tubes and tentacles), rinsed and sliced into rings
• 2 cups buttermilk (low fat is fine)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• vegetable or canola oil

Instructions

• In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and Sriracha. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.
• Add the buttermilk to a bowl. Add the calamari, and let it soak; chill for at least 1 hour.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Remove the calamari from the buttermilk and dredge it in the flour mixture. Shake off the excess, and separate the rings and tentacles.
• Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a large pot; heat to 365°F. Fry the calamari, in batches, 1 minute or until done. Drain on paper towels, and serve warm with the spicy mayonnaise.

Notes

• Since it's impossible to know how much oil stays with the calamari after frying, the oil is not included in the nutritional information.

Nutrition

Serving: 1appetizer | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

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