RendezVous

CrunchyWednesday!

Kind of in the mood for something fishy and crunchy today… last Saturday walking by a fishery, on a small town called Dorado, I got inspired by the beautiful smell of the catches of the day. While walking down the street an old guy was selling calamari, and I had a flashback of a small little restaurant I visited in a beautiful colonial alley in downtown Nassau, called Olive’s Mediterranean Cuisine. {Divine, I totally recommend!}. While sipping a glass of white wine and undecided by the “delicias” of the menu which I thought it came out of a gourmet Mediterranean ferry tale, I looked down the list of the delicious tapas and was trapped by this scrumptious name:"Tempura Fried Calamari with Lemon Infused Olive Oil". Impulsive and intrigued to know the recipe of this dish, I asked the chef to write it down for me. Here sharing this Simple & Tasty appetizer that makes everyone remember the breezy and tropical summer days.

Ingredients:

{For Calamari}

- 1cup of all-purpose flour

- 1 cup of very (and I mean VERY) cold water

- Four cups of thin sliced calamari rings

- 1 large lime cut into 4 wedges

- ¾ cup of olive oil

- 1 tsp of minced cilantro

- One clove of garlic

- One tsp of salt

-       Frying pan with 2 inches of Canola Oil (healthier than vegetable oil)

Method:

1.    On a small saucepan, heat olive oil to low medium and add cilantro, garlic and one wedge of lime. Let infuse for at least 20 minutes.
2.    On a medium bowl, add cold water (very cold), salt and start adding flour gradually while steering until it forms a pancake like batter (I always add 2 cubes of ice to the mixture, the colder it is, the crispier the crust will get).
3.   Heat olive oil to medium high heat.
4.   Place calamari rings on the batter and let them rest for 5 minutes on the freezer.
5.    Take lime infused olive oil out of the heat and let it stand until it gets to room temperature.
6.   Insert calamari on the hot oil (careful note: the reaction of cold and hot temperatures makes a crispier crust, but it can also burn the heck out of your hand!). Let them in the Jacuzzi for about 2 minutes or until they get a golden brown color. Let them stand on a towel paper for 2 minutes.
7.   Serve in a rectangular plate. Calamaris at one side and in a miniature bowl {along with the lime infused oil} at the other end. Place lime wedges on each end of the plate.

When you gather friends and family at your home, plating can be very important, why not get creative? Serving the calamari in a small brown grocery bag and the oil in a small martini glass with a piece of lime zest inside can be a good example of how calamari can be placed.

Bon Appétit!