Hey I want to make my own fried calamari at home. My father did it and it was good. What temperature and how long should I do it for nice crispy ones. And is it the same process as frying chicken with the egg, flour, and breadcrumbs or what?

Thanks and any tips on what specific type of oil to use? Us greeks would bathe in olive oil if it was socially acceptable. I'm a little lost on other types

My father used to call calamari fish bait. Never would eat it.

Really? I would eat that stuff 3 times a day every day if I could without going to the hospital. I'm trying that recipe asap. Maybe tomorrow I'll have to go on a calamari run and give it a shot

And PB, bloomberg was never my mayor.

"Gestapo Bloomberg" love it.

Really? I would eat that stuff 3 times a day every day if I could without going to the hospital. I'm trying that recipe asap. Maybe tomorrow I'll have to go on a calamari run and give it a shot

And you wanna hear something funny? It's muggy as shit tonight so we went to a local diner for dinner so we wouldn't have to turn on the oven. I had a Greek salad with grilled chicken and extra anchovies. I swear to God .

Remember to get sea salt... makes all the difference!

Hey if you're in Queens and you want some good greek food, especially seafood, try a place called kyklades on ditmars in astoria.

There is a soccer field near their right. I think the blue angels used to play there. I think the field now is called con Edison field right?

I know the place, but I don't think I've ever eaten there. One of our buildings is just off 30th Avenue, so I'm in Astoria all the time. And I have to be honest, I LOVE the Neptune Diner at the mouth of the Triboro Bridge. But that's probably like you telling me that you love the Olive Garden .

That will make me only 86 yrs old.

start with fresh calamari, it can be found at any decent fish market. there's nothing wrong with the tentacles, but most prefer the rings as they fry up more evenly without clumping together. get the whole bodies, cut them yourself about 1/4 inch thick or so. perfection is not a must, i'd rather see some minor imperfections and know that my food didn't come from a fucking robot. avoid the frozen stuff, but alot of places will have fresh frozen, which is fine. if you get the frozen shit that's already cut up, well then you are probably the same type of person who buys pre-cut vegetables and there is no hope for you at this point! instead of the calamari, stick your head in the oil and rid the world of your terrible culinary practices!

soak in whole milk for at least a few hours, overnight is fine. this does 2 things: first, it will help remove some of the more offensive fishy smells and odors if you copped out and bought a cheap product. secondly, when you add it to the flour, it binds with the flour and creates a nice light breading. as far as the flour, it must be well seasoned! salt and pepper is fine, but i also add old bay and garlic powder. either way, taste it! nothing is more of a waste of time than under seasoning things. how many of us have seen people season their pasta water with such a small sprinkling of salt that we just wanted to dump it out and make them start again? do it right or don't do it at all!

fry it hot and fast, say around 375 in canola/veg/peanut oil. don't add too much at one time, it will not only clump together but will lower the oil temperature allowing the food to absorb more oil. this is known as bad frying! it cooks quick, only a couple of minutes. a tip when frying: the food is always going to appear a shade or 2 darker a few minutes after you pull it out of the oil then when it first comes out, so keep that in mind so you don't look like a fool serving dark brown squid!

serve with a nice spicy marinara and lemon wedges. another thing i enjoy is to toss it with some fresh squeezed lemon and a bit of chopped flatleaf parsley as soon as it comes out of the oil and it drained, which should always be done on a brown paper bag, not paper towels dammit!

No, absolutely not. Breading does not belong on calamari. Just flour. If you want, you can soak them in milk first. Then just roll them in flour and shake them off good.

Use a good oil with a high smoking point. This isn't the time to break out the extra virgin olive oil. Fry them in small batches so they don't crowd the pan and "steam" themselves. If you do that they'll never get crispy. Clean oil, about 375 degrees. And don't move them around too much. Let the coating "set" a bit before you touch them. Fry them til they're just crisp.

Lemon wedges and marinara. That's all you need to know .

if you get the frozen shit that's already cut up, well then you are probably the same type of person who buys pre-cut vegetables and there is no hope for you at this point! instead of the calamari, stick your head in the oil and rid the world of your terrible culinary practices!