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Salt and pepper calamari

Serve it up as an entree or main. Either way, your guests will love you for it! - by Karen Martini
  • 17 Jan 2022
Salt and pepper calamari
Prep: 20 Minutes - Cook: 10 Minutes - Serves 4
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The sweet aniseed flavour of fennel seeds, working in tandem with a saffron-infused sauce, makes this classic something special.

Ingredients

Pinch of saffron

3 Tbsp boiling water

¾ cup mayonnaise

Juice of ½ lemon

Freshly ground black pepper, to season

2 Tbsp sea-salt flakes

2 Tbsp fennel seeds

750g calamari, cleaned, tentacles attached

150g plain flour

150g fine semolina

1L vegetable oil, to deep-fry

Rocket leaves, to serve

Flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve

Lemon cheeks, to serve

Method

  1. Put saffron and water in a small bowl. Set aside at room temperature to soak until cool.

  2. Add mayonnaise and lemon juice to saffron mixture. Season with pepper and stir. Set aside to allow flavours to infuse.

  3. Use a grinder or mortar and pestle to grind sea-salt flakes and fennel seeds until combined. Set aside.

  4. Use a sharp knife to score calamari, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut tentacles into sets of 2.

  5. Put flour and semolina in a large bowl. Add calamari, then toss through flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

  6. Pour oil in a large frying pan and set over a high heat. Deep-fry calamari, in batches, for 3 minutes or until golden and just cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towel.

  7. Season calamari with a little of the fennel salt, then put remaining fennel salt in a small serving bowl.

  8. Arrange rocket and parsley on a serving plate and top with calamari. Serve with saffron mayonnaise, fennel salt and lemon cheeks on the side.

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Karen Martini
Karen Martini
Melbourne chef, restaurateur and food writer Karen Martini has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. A passionate ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Research, Karen aims to build the awareness of the silent killer that is often misdiagnosed.

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