Deep fried calamari with garlic and lemon mayonnaise
Deep fried calamari with garlic and lemon mayonnaise
INGREDIENTS
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 500g/1lb 2oz squid, cut into 5mm/¼in rings
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika (many supermarkets and delis sell smoked Spanish paprika. If you can't get hold of any, use the traditional paprika instead)
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 250g/9oz plain flour
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
For the mayonnaise
- 200ml/7fl oz mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ lemon, juice only
INSTRUCTIONS
- For the mayonnaise, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
- For the calamari, place enough oil in a wok, large saucepan or deep-fat fryer to come halfway up the pan. Place over a medium heat. If you're using a deep-fat fryer or have a thermometer, heat the oil to 180C/350F. If not, to check the oil is at the right temperature, drop a 2-3cm/¾-1¼in cube of bread into the hot oil. It should become golden and crispy in 1 minute.
- While the oil is heating, place the flour, cayenne, paprika and salt in a large sandwich bag. Drop in the squid and shake around to coat evenly. This may need to be done in two batches, depending on the size of the bag.
- Dip the floured squid into the beaten egg and then carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove from the oil and briefly drain on kitchen paper before serving with the garlic and lemon mayonnaise.
