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A plate with crispy fried calamari-kalamarakia with lemon wedges and parsley leaves, on a table next to a bowl with fries and a piece of bread. Overhead shot.
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Crispy Fried Calamari-Kalamarakia Tiganita

Crispy fried Calamari-Kalamarakia Tiganita is a delicious appetizer on the Greek table. Our calamari has a coating of three flours, mustard, and smoked paprika.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 430kcal
Author by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup corn flour
  • ⅓ cup semolina flour
  • 1 tablespoon mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 lb calamari cleaned and sliced
  • sunflower oil for frying

Instructions

  • Add the calamari in a colander. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Add all-purpose flour, corn flour, semolina, a bit of lemon zest, mustard powder, and paprika in a bowl. Season with sea salt and mix well with a whisk or a spoon.
  • Add the calamari and toss to coat well all over.
  • Place a deep skillet on high heat and let it heat up. When the skillet is heated up well, add the sunflower oil. When the oil reaches 175-185°C / 350-365°F carefully add some of the calamari to the oil.
    Give a little shake to the calamari pieces to discard extra coating.
    Fry the calamari until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes. Don't exceed this frying time; the calamari will become hard and very chewy.
    Remove the calamari from the oil and arrange it on a paper towel-lined plate of wire rack. 
  • Serve immediately with lemon wedges around the table.

Notes

  • Calamari. Every grocery store has bags of cleaned and sliced calamari. If you opt for fresh calamari, ask your fishmonger to clean and slice it.
  • Don't over-fry. The calamari will become very hard and difficult to eat.
  • Serve with lemon wedges on the side. Avoid drizzling lemon juice when the kalamarakia are on the serving platter. Lemon suits this dish very much but will dampen and make the coating soft instead of crispy. Allow your guests to squeeze lemon juice at will when the calamari is served on their plates. 
 
Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only estimated and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 528mg | Sodium: 685mg | Potassium: 661mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 938IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 4mg