Calamari Salad

I don’t remember how I discovered the wonderful blog Tasty Eats, but I’ve been following it for quite a while. The author is Chef Ronit Penso, who presently works as a private chef, a culinary journalist, cookbook translator, editor and author. Read her bio here – she is definitely in the biz, including a cookbook 3 Courses in 30 Minutes, published in Israel.

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Ronit was also the runner up on Chopped – season 10 episode 10 if you’re interested. If you’ve seen Chopped, you’re aware that it’s quite a challenging feat. She had to deal with olive loaf that looked like it came from a 1950’s American deli.

When I received notification of a Calamari Salad from Tasty Eats, I knew right away that I’d be making it. It’s a simple recipe, that includes olive oil, garlic, parsley, and capers, but an interesting element is chopped raw lemon.

If you’re new to cleaning squid/calamari, I have a squid tutorial for you. My squid bodies were already separated from the tentacles. They’re such fascinating creatures.

Calamari Salad

1 pound whole frozen calamari, thawed and cleaned
1 medium lemon, washed
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup flat parsley, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1/4 cup capers, drained
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 slices lemon, roughly chopped with the peel on

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.

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.

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.

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. (I also dried them slightly on paper towels.)

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.

To serve, bring to room temperature, add the diced lemon and mix. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve at room temperature.

This salad is spectacular!

Make sure and use excellent olive oil. And, if you’re tempted to use more garlic as I was – don’t! It’s perfect as is!