Spicy Calamari
"This spicy calamari dish is light and pretty healthy too, rich in vitamins, minerals and healthy omega 3 oils which help us stay away from the cardiologist. I have chosen to make them slightly different by adding no batter or breadcrumbs to those since I wanted the dish to remain a low carbs and gluten free onebut see below other ideas on how these could be made. Spicy Calamari – a tender, gluten free and low carbs is simple and delicious appetiser with a slightly smoky garlicky flavour from the homemade cajun powder. DELISH as an appetiser or a side dish!"
NotesThe cajun powder
Almost all my cooking has to be from scratch and spices make no exception. I try and make my own blends as much as possible.
My favourite cajun powder is this, I generally stir together:
- salt, 1 tbsp (I use pink Himalayan) - paprika, 3 tbsp - garlic powder, 1 tsp - fennel seeds 2/3 tbsp - black pepper, 1 tsp - cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp - onion powder, 1 tbsp - dry thyme 1 tbsp ( or dry basil leaves) - dry oregano, 2 tbsp - cumin seeds 2 tbsp - red chilli flakes - 1 tsp (or more if you wish this to be fairly hot)
I place all the above ingredients into a spice blender and give it a good few pulses until it blends evenly. I store it in an airtight container which is generally a glass container with a screw lid/top.
Fot this cajun powder, if you are making it at home use the quantities that you like and blend the ingredients in the quantities you may like by adding more of the ingredients you like most and decreasing the ones you are not so keen on or even take it out completely.
This is the beauty of making own spices at home. It will never be the same which to me it is the exciting thing about home cooking. Getting creative and adventurous is ultimately what matters the most.
It can’t get any better, and this calamari dish is truly scrumptious! Oh, in fact, yes, a glass of white will be just what is missing but okay if you decide to give the wine a miss. Enjoy this heavenly divine dish as a fabulous starter.
Did you make this delicious spicy calamari dish?
Please do let me know how you liked it, did you give it any twist and used different spices, how did it turn out for you? If you liked it, made it or just got inspired by this dish, please leave a comment below or even share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ramonascuisine. I would really want to see!
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Have a magnificent day!
Enjoy!
Serves2
Preparation Time20 min
Cooking Time15 min
Ingredients
- 4 large calamari
- 1 pinch salt I have used pink Himalayan
- pepper freshly ground
- cajun powder * homemade recipe (see recipe notes)
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper or red chilli flakes to sprinkle over at the end (optional)
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 lemon (or lemon juice) to serve
- 2-3 tbsp Olive oil
Instruction
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Wash the calamari thoroughly, cut into rings about 1 cm thick sprinkle some salt and put aside in a sieve to drain properly.
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Peel the garlic, crush and chop finely.
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Place a nonstick frying pan on a medium- high heat and cook the the calamari rings. There will be some water released but if it's not too much leave it. It will evaporate as you cook the rings. If it is quite a lot of water just dispose of some and as an indication, there should be roughly about 4 spoonfuls of liquid which is enough to cook them, anything extra, dispose of. Keep stirring or tossing pretty much continuously until all the juices have run out. The whole thing shouldn't take longer than 12-13 min.
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When the calamari is left with no juice at all, add the oil, garlic and the Cajun powder* (see recipe notes for details) .
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Toss in the frying pan for 1 minute or so and take off the heat.
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Place on a serving plate and enjoy with an extra pinch of freshly ground pepper or even some red chilli flakes if you want them extra hot and a good squeeze of lemon juice.