This recipe is based on Jamie Oliver’s “Party squid & harissa mayo”. This dish is perfect for a quick and easy meal, or starter. Crispy calamari with a tangy, spicy mayonnaise dip. Simple finger food, that’s perfect for a family lunch or dinner party.
Use the video below to help guide you through the recipe. Check out Jamie’s recipe here.
Ingredients
- 3 lemons
- 3 sprigs of flowering oregano
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- freshly ground white pepper
- 300 g plain flour
- 12 whole medium squid , prepared, with tentacles, from sustainable sources
- vegetable oil , for deep-frying
- a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Spicey Mayo
- 1 clove of garlic
- 3 heaped tablespoons Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoons harissa paste
- 1½ teaspoons rose water
Short Instructions
Spicey Mayo
Peel and crush some garlic and add salt, adding this to the mayo. Add 2 teaspoons of harissa sauce (if you can’t find harissa sauce you can easily make your own version at home) or a chilli/spicy sauce of your own choice (try find one that is sweet), followed by the zest and juice from ½ a lemon, then mix well, taste and add a little more lemon juice, if needed. Transfer to a bowl, and ripple the remaining spicy sauce. You can go an extra step by adding rose water, but this is not necessary. Set aside.
Frying Calamari
Scrunch the oregano, discarding the stalks, and finely chop. Add the fennel and a teaspoon each of salt and white pepper. Blitz to a fine powder, then place into a large bowl with the flour and stir to combine. Rinse the parsley sprigs under cold running water, shake off any excess water, then pick the leaves into the flour.
Wash and pat dry the squid, then slice and open out the tubes like a book, or slice into rings if that’s how you prefer them to be served. Score a criss-cross pattern onto the surface (if you have opened them), then add to the flavoured flour you made in the previous step, along with the tentacles and toss well to coat.
Place a large, deep saucepan over a medium-high heat. Fill three-quarters full with vegetable oil and allow to heat up. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a piece of bread into the pan – if the bread floats to the surface, sizzles and turns golden, it’s about right. Shake off any excess flour from the squid, then use a slotted spoon to carefully lower into the hot oil (you’ll need to do this in batches). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden, crisp and cooked through. Transfer to a double layer of kitchen paper to drain, then repeat with the remaining squid.
Sprinkle the crispy parsley, then serve with extra lemon wedges for squeezing over and harissa mayo for dunking.
