Lemon Pepper Calamari with a Lemon and Thyme Aioli

Freshly fried calamari rings with lemon wedges

 

Golden brown calamari being dipped in a creamy lemon and thyme aioli

 

I dream of fried lemon pepper calamari.

Crispy, tender, salty fried calamari with a dipping sauce I could pour all of my troubles into.  Pair it with a pitcher of quality margaritas and it’s a delicious happy hour fantasy.  I don’t know why I always picture this scenario alone.  Probably because I would enjoy the solitude but most likely because I simply don’t want to share.  Who could blame me?  Tender pieces of golden fried calamari in a salty, lemon pepper coating with a sauce you’ll want to dip everything in.  No, it’s mine.  In fact, I will need another order.

 

Starter or Main

This recipe is perfect as an appetizer/starter or as a main dish if you having a fish fry.  Just double up the amount of squid or throw some fish and shrimp into the mix.  In my house, the adults happily munch on shrimp and calamari while my little one feasts on her own portion of fish goujons.  AND by her ‘own portion’ I mean, she won’t let us have a bite.  That’s how good it is.

 

 

Beer batter seasoned with spices and freshly squeezed lemon juice
Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper together. Mix until evenly combined. Slowly whisk in beer and lemon juice. You want it to be thick but still mobile, so try for the consistency of a paste. Chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

 

 

Fresh squid rings dusted with flour before being dipped in batter and fried
Meanwhile, while the batter is chilling, wash and cut up the squid. Leave the tentacles as long strips and cut the mantle into rings. After prep, keep cold. Seafood has a tendency to spoil quickly in the heat so refrigerate until ready to fry. In a deep pot or fryer, heat up oil on high heat for 5-10 minutes. You’ll know when it’s ready to fry when you drop a bit of batter into the water and it bubbles vigorously. When oil is hot, dust squid pieces in flour and dip in beer batter. Make sure it is evenly coated in batter.

 

 

Calamari dipped in a seasoned beer batter and frying in hot sizzling oil
CAREFULLY add to hot oil. Make sure it is evenly distributed in the oil to avoid pieces sticking together. Fry until golden brown and crispy then remove from oil and drain the calamari on paper towels to soak up all that extra grease.

 

 

Golden fried calamari with lemon wedges and a creamy aioli
Serve the calamari hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

 

 

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Lemon Pepper Calamari with a Lemon and Thyme Aioli


  • Author: Spicepaw
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 3-4 1x

Description

Tender pieces of lemon pepper calamari fried to golden perfection and served with the most addictive lemon and thyme aioli dipping sauce. #calamari #appetizer #seafood #fried #crispy


Ingredients

Units Scale

Calamari

  • 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour (plus 12 tablespoons more for dusting)
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) cornstarch
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • the juice of 1 lemon (3-4 tbsp)
  • 300 ml (10 oz) of beer
  • oil for frying (I use sunflower for this recipe)
  • 12 large squids

Lemon and Thyme Dipping Sauce

  • 1 egg (always make sure you are using good quality fresh eggs)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 23 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 cup (240 ml) of olive oil (regular olive oil is best as it doesn’t carry with it such a heavy taste like extra virgin olive oil does)

Instructions

Lemon Pepper Calamari

  1. Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper together.  Mix until evenly combined.
  2. Slowly whisk in beer and lemon juice.  You want it to be thick but still mobile, so try for the consistency of a runny paste.
  3. Chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, while the batter is chilling, wash and cut up the squid.  Leave the tentacles as long strips and cut the mantle into rings.  After prep, keep cold.  Seafood has a tendency to spoil quickly in the heat so refrigerate until ready to fry.
  5. In a deep pot or fryer, heat up the oil on high heat for 5-10 minutes.  You’ll know when it’s ready to fry when you drop a bit of batter into the water and it bubbles vigorously.
  6. When the oil is hot, dust squid pieces in flour and dip in beer batter.  Make sure it is evenly coated in batter.
  7. CAREFULLY add to hot oil.  Make sure it is evenly distributed in the oil to avoid pieces sticking together.
  8. Fry until golden brown and crispy then remove from oil and drain on paper towels to soak up all that extra grease.
  9. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Lemon and Thyme Aioli

  1. In a blender, add egg, garlic, thyme leaves, Dijon mustard, salt and lemon juice together.
  2. Blitz together on high speed until fully pureed.
  3. With the blender still mixing at high speed, start slowly adding olive oil in a thin strip to the running blender and egg mixture.  Keep a watchful eye on it and stop adding olive oil when you see the consistency thicken to a smoother creamier texture.  When you see it turn to the consistency that you want, stop adding oil and turn off the blender.
  4. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to eat.  This can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

When it comes to seafood, fresh is best  You can use frozen squid in a pinch if you want but you may run the risk of it being chewy and rubbery.

  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 5
  • Category: Seafood
  • Method: Frying
  • Cuisine: Western

Keywords: calamari, squid, lemon pepper, crispy, fried, aioli, thyme, garlic

 

 

A mound of crispy, golden fried calamari rings with lemon wedges and a creamy aioli

 

Eat more delicious seafood with these recipes:

John Dory poached in Tomato and Chili Broth

Spicy Seafood Linguine cooked with White Wine

Seafood Stir-Fried in Thai Chili Paste (Nam Prik Pao)

 

Author: Natasha

I'm just a busy expat mom who has a psychological need to feed people. I enjoy learning about new cultures, (especially the food) and enjoy experimenting with new ingredients and spices

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