Calamares a la Romana

Calamares fritos
Fotoasturias/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 4.0
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings

Fried squid, or in Spanish calamares fritos, is a very popular appetizer or tapa in Spain as well as here in the USA. You might also know this dish by the name Calamares a la Romana. Either way, it has become an extremely popular item on appetizer menus in restaurants everywhere.

You can use fresh or frozen squid, which can be found in most grocery stores in the frozen food section, roughly a dozen to a box. Perhaps your grocery store's seafood department carries squid, or if you are lucky enough to live near an Asian market, visit them to see their fresh fish and seafood selection, where you will most likely find fresh squid.

If possible, ask that the squid is cleaned before you purchase and take home. Cleaned, frozen squid bodies may also be available and are good to make large calamari rings.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds squid, preferably cleaned

  • 3 to 4 cups Spanish olive oil, for frying

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, or more

  • Salt, to taste

  • 1 lemon, cut into 8 pieces

Steps to Make It

  1. Wherever and however you buy the squid, they need to be cleaned before cooking. The spines, ink sacks, and heads should be discarded. If you are cleaning the squid yourself, don’t throw away the tentacles because those are good to eat, too.

  2. Once the squid are cleaned, dry them thoroughly. Cut the squid bodies into rings.

  3. Pour 1/2 inch of olive oil into a large open frying pan and put on high heat for frying, but be careful that the oil does not smoke.

  4. Put the flour and a bit of salt into a large plastic bag. Place a few pieces of squid into the bag and shake to cover with flour. Remove the rings one at a time with your hands and carefully place in the hot oil.

  5. Continue to cover pieces in flour and add to the frying pan. Do not crowd the pan, leaving enough room in the pan to turn over squid rings if necessary.

  6. Fry until the rings turn golden. When done, remove the squid rings from pan and allow to drain on a paper towel. Serve hot with lemon.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
358 Calories
20g Fat
26g Carbs
20g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 358
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 26%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 264mg 88%
Sodium 125mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 10%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 20g
Vitamin C 59mg 294%
Calcium 64mg 5%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 457mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)