Many of us are more familiar with crispy calamari rings, coated with batter and deep fried. They are very tasty, but also can be quite heavy. Calamari salads are a bit less known, and it’s a shame, as they are a wonderful fresh alternative.
Here is one example for such a salad: lemony and green with fresh parsley, it is just perfect for a hot summer day. It is very easy to prepare and even easier to serve, as it is prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge until serving. I’m sure you’ll love it once you’ll try it.
A few notes:
* If you are squeamish about using the calamari tentacles, you can prepare the salad using the body rings only. However, the purple tentacles add both color and different texture, so I highly recommend using them.
* If you’re using fresh calamari, cleaning will take a bit longer than with frozen ones, as you’ll need to remove the eye and ink sac as well. In this case, make sure to wash the calamari even more thoroughly, as they usually have more sand in them.
* Cooking time can vary depending on size, but even with bigger ones, it’s crucial to keep cooking time as short as possible, otherwise you’ll end up with rubbery, chewy texture. Remember the rule about cooking calamari: it’s either very short or very long cooking time.
Makes: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours and up to overnight
Ingredients:
1.1 lb (500 grams) whole cleaned calamari, frozen, thawed
1 medium lemon, washed
1 tsp salt
½ cup flat parsley, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
¼ cup capers, drained
2 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 slices lemon, roughly chopped with the peel on
1. Prepare the calamari: separate the tentacles from the body, remove the wings and check for any bones (they look like clear plastic). Place in a colander and wash thoroughly. Cut the body into thick rings, drain and transfer to a small bowl. Keep the colander in the sink.
2. Cut the lemon in half and juice it. Keep the juice on the side and place the lemon halves in a medium size pot. Add 1 tsp salt, fill with water and boil.
3. While waiting for the water to boil, chop the parsley and dice the garlic. Place in a medium bowl and add the capers, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix and keep on the side.
4. Once the water is boiling, add the cleaned calamari. Bring back to the boil and cook for 40 seconds longer. (The overall cooking time is about a minute.) Quickly drain into the colander and wash with very cold water for a couple of minutes, to stop the cooking.
5. While still slightly warm, add the cooked calamari to the bowl with the parsley and mix well. Add the olive oil, mix and transfer to an airtight container. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
6. To serve, bring to room temperature, add the diced lemon and mix. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve at room temperature.
Interesting, but I’m probably a bit squeamish to try it.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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As long as it’s interesting! 🙂
The parsley-capers mix is also great with shrimps or as a topping for trout.
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Interesting indeed and I certainly will try your recipe although I don’t care too much for calamari. I will only ever use frozen ones for this salad. So refreshing!!! In Europe I used this parsley/capers mix for trout. Thanks, Carina 😆
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Thank you Carina, I’m glad you liked the idea. The herbs mix can be used in many ways and is wonderful with trout. 🙂
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I love calamari, just pinned this!
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Thank you! I’m glad to hear. I hope you’ll enjoy the dish. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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I’ve only ever had fried calamari but I would never hesitate to put something like this in my mouth! I love the idea of adding capers to the chimichurri-type sauce..
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Thank you Kathryn, I’m glad you like the recipe. 🙂
The parsley-capers mix indeed reminds of chimichurri with the difference of using lemon and not vinegar. It is also great with shrimps and fish.
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That’s a lovely salad Ronit, reminds of what I used to have in Italy. So fresh and delicious. I do love fried calamari but this salad is a refreshing change.
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Thank you Suzanne, I’m glad you liked the salad. It is indeed very Mediterranean and one of my favorite ways of preparing calamari. 🙂
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I’ve never tried cooking calamari. This post motivates me to give it a try. I like how the salad looks with both the tentacles and the bands.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad to hear! The salad is perfect for warm days and I hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ll be happy to hear your comments.
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I want!!!
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Sorry, all gone… But thank you for this lovely compliment! 🙂
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I’m so jealous that you can get your hands on calamari! I’ve never cooked with it because it would be frozen if I could buy it here. But boy do I eat a lot of it when I’m on vacation!!! This salad is so gorgeous!!!
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Thank you Mimi, I’m glad you liked the salad. It is very fresh and tasty and perfect for summer.
Though I obviously use fresh calamari when I have a chance, I actually prepared this salad with frozen calamari and the result was excellent. Unlike some other seafood, I find that calamari can hold freezing well. I highly recommend experimenting with it. 🙂
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Calamari salad, that’s great!!!
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Thank you Sumith, I’m glad you liked the dish. 🙂
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Ideal for summer!! Good idea to boil with lemon! – to remove the fishy smell and transfer the flavour?
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Thank you Rotwein, I’m glad you liked the salad. It is a perfect dish for summer.
You are correct – adding the lemons to the cooking water eliminates the fishy smell and adds flavor. 🙂
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Love calamari, but only as a treat because it’s so fattening! This is a great idea!
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Thank you Terri for your comment.
Indeed the deep fried batter coated calamari is not a diet friendly food. This salad is the very opposite, so you can enjoy it guilt-free. 🙂
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Such a refreshing salad! I do love calamari but normally, if not buttered and fried, I go for grilled or stuffed. That’s a new one for me too! thanks for the inspiration 🙂
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Thank you Eugenia, I’m glad you liked the recipe and that you’ve found it inspiring.
I love all the options you’ve mentioned as well, but it’s always nice to have one more! 🙂
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Yummi…
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Thank you Shirley, I’m glad you liked the salad. 🙂
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One of my sisters was always in charge of bringing a calamari soup to her Sicilian husband’s family Christmas Eve dinner. I bet she would be interested in this salad – will have to share with her. Me, I have only had them fried. Yes – I am squeamish too 🙂
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It’s interesting how even seasoned cooks become squeamish with calamari. I guess it has something to do with the way it looks…
Sicilian calamari soup sounds very intriguing! I hope your sister will enjoy this recipe as well. 🙂
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Looks absolutely perfect Ronit! 🙂
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Thank you Linda! It turned out to be a big hit. I’ll be making it again very soon. 🙂
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I love calamari fried, but I’ve yet to try it prepared it any other way. I have a bag of frozen rings tucked away in the freezer and I think maybe it’s time to broaden my scope a bit. This salad looks wonderful (not to mention healthier than fried calamari)! Thanks for posting, Ronit…You’ve encouraged me to challenge myself!
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Thank you Nancy, I’m glad to hear!
I love fried calamari, but it’s also nice to have a fresh alternative as well. Hope you’ll enjoy the results. 🙂
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This looks so fresh and delicious Ronit! I have never had calamari in a salad. I have had fried (of course), sauteed like scampi and I made stuffed calamari once in a spicy tomato sauce. I must find some calamari now to make this salad. It will go great with some of the smoked meats I do. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Thank you Tony, I’m glad you liked this way of preparing calamari. I can definitely see this salad paired with smoked meats, and love all the variations you’ve mentioned. So many ways to prepare this… 🙂
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Hi Ronit,
I had something like this in France a couple of years ago. Delicious. I always prepare my own squid. It’s the best way to guarantee freshness. You are so right about cooking times.
Best,
Conor
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Thank you Conor, I’m glad the recipe evoked such nice memories.
Many people who don’t like calamari don’t know it’s because they’re cooking it wrong, so hopefully the emphasis on cooking times will help. 🙂
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Simple but yet very delicious recipe 🙂
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Thank you Nandini! 🙂
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I think I’m like Judilyn, squeamish about trying calamari when it’s not heavily disguised with breadcrumbs and deeply, deeply fried. I always pick them out of seafood mixes. 🙂
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It’s always interesting to see how people react to different foods. We are lucky to have such abundance to choose from. 🙂
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Your salad looks good, one of my husband’s favorite seafood dishes. Calamari is one seafood I always make sure to buy cleaned…well worth the added cost.
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Thank you Karen, I’m glad you liked the salad.
I totally agree – the extra cost is well worth it when it comes to cleaning calamari, though I’ve had times when even after paying the extra it was still not as clean as I want it…
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This sounds lovely…I make a thai one which is also lovely but this one would make a change with the lemon and capers 🙂 Squid is such a lovely seafood 🙂
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Thank you Carol. I”m glad you liked the recipe. It is very refreshing and great to have on a summer day.
The Thai salad also sounds wonderful, I’ll be happy to see the recipe. 🙂
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Hi if you would like the recipe for swuid salad here is the link to my blog post which it is on https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/it-is-easier-to-get-older-than-wiser/ I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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Thanks I’ll check it out soon. 🙂
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A new twist on calamari. So much healthier than fried!
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Thank you Debbie, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I love both versions, but this one is definitely lighter and my favorite. 🙂
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looks delicious!!
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Thank you Evangeline! 🙂
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This calamari salad reminds me of spending summer at the seaside!
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Thank you Krešo, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It is indeed a dish that brings about such nice summer memories. For me it especially reminds the Greek islands. 🙂
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