Italian

Calamari with lemon dressing recipe

Name: Calamari with lemon dressing recipe
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /italian
Ingredients: 60ml olive oil; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2.00 garlic clove, crushed; 1 large red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped; 105g breadcrumbs; 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, chopped, plus extra leaves to serve; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 20.00 ml baby capers, chopped; 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained, chopped; 6 medium-sized calamari, cleaned, tentacles reserved; 100ml extra virgin olive oil; 2 lemons, halved; 20.00 ml red wine vinegar

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by Silvia Colloca

Cook and author

Aug 08, 2018

Bring Italy to you with this authentic Italian calamari.

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 large red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (105g) fresh breadcrumbs
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbs baby capers, chopped
4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained, chopped
6 medium-sized calamari, cleaned, tentacles reserved

Charred lemon dressing

100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, halved
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed

Method

1.

To make the dressing, heat a barbecue or chargrill pan to high heat.
2.

Brush 1/2 tsp oil over the cut side of each lemon. Grill, cut-side down, for 3 minutes or until charred. Set aside to cool, then juice 2 lemon halves, reserving remaining halves to serve. Sieve juice into a bowl and whisk in vinegar, garlic and remaining 1/3 cup (80ml) oil until well combined. Set aside.
3.

To make the stuffing, heat 1 1/2 tbs oil in a frypan over medium heat and add onion, garlic and chilli. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft but not coloured. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Add remaining ingredients, except calamari, then season and stir to combine. Fill each calamari tube two-thirds full, being careful not to overfill (calamari will shrink during cooking). Seal each tube opening and secure reserved tentacles to the sealed base with a toothpick. Lightly brush remaining 1 1/2 tbs oil over squid and grill, turning halfway, for 4 minutes or until charred and filling is cooked through. Transfer to a plate and stand for 5 minutes to rest, loosely covered with foil. Remove toothpicks and slice each calamari into 5-6 pieces. Sprinkle over extra parsley and serve with dressing and charred lemon.