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-carb and gluten-free one but see below other ideas on how these could be made.
Some of my friends who have had my spicy calamari dish have asked me for the recipe so, here it is folks! Sorry for the delay. I don’t know about you guys but when it comes to seafood, I could feed on it all day long, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, especially this spicy calamari is simply divine.
Is there a difference between calamari and squid?
Well, yes and no, but yes, it depends on what and how we are looking at this! It can be a little confusing.
One thing that we may all agree on is that both are super popular seafoods around the world, but the opinions and the light we see in these are beginning to vary.
Some say squid is exactly the same as calamari, some say they are completely different. Who do we believe? Let’s see if I can bring some light to this debate.
I think I do know where the confusion originates from and what is creating all this debate around these two ‘famous’ seafood ingredients.
Well, there are over 500 species of squids that vary in shape, size, and overall weight.
Similarities and differences between squid and calamari
Both squid and calamari do not have external shells making them look fairly similar.
The difference is that calamari is the actual name that represents the squid species which are smaller in size, they have side fins/flaps that run on the full length of their bodies squid are larger and have fins too but only run for a little bit on the sides making them look more like an arrow. Also texture-wise, the calamari is more tender which also makes it more expensive.
When it comes to cooking squid, the method is quite different from how we cook the other regular seafood.
Cooking methods
Since calamari is more tender as well as tastier, it is best to grill, stir-fry, or simply fry whereas squid is best to stuff and stew. There is also a price difference, with squid being the cheaper option being the tougher one between the two.
Conclusion
It is common, especially in some areas that squid is referred to as the actual creature and the calamari as the cooked outcome. Some even say that calamari is the actual Italian word used for squid.
Scientifically, therefore, the differences are certainly there between the two. When it comes to reality, restaurants and the whole concept around this topic squid vs calamari, are presented as the same thing, no difference is made between cooked squid meaning calamari.
Ways to cook calamari:
- in a curry
- deep fried with a light dusting in Panko breadcrumbs *
- paella
- shallow fried in a salad
- grilled
The word panko is made of the Portuguese word for bread “pao” and the Japanese word for flour “ko”. Panko is ground-up bread or breadcrumbs that give a light and crunchy texture to fried food, nice and crispy. The Portuguese not only influenced Japanese cuisine with the wheat-yeasted bread but also with the batter used in Japanese cuisine for tempuras.
More delightful seafood recipes to enjoy
I will get on with revealing this gluten and carbs free, super light and delightfully simple spicy calamari recipe.
Spicy calamari
Ingredients
- 4 large calamari
- 1 pinch salt I have used pink Himalayan
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon 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 lemon juice to serve
- 2-3 tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
- Wash the calamari thoroughly, cut into rings about 1 cm thick sprinkle some salt and put aside in a sieve to drain properly.
- Peel the garlic, crush and chop finely.
- Place a nonstick frying pan on medium-high heat and cook 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.
- When the calamari is left with no juice at all, add the oil, garlic and the Cajun powder* (see recipe notes for details).
- Toss in the frying pan for 1 minute or so and take off the heat.
- 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.
Notes
- paprika, 3 tbsp
- garlic powder, 1 tsp
- fennel seeds ⅔ tbsp
- black pepper, 1 tsp
- cayenne pepper ½ tsp
- onion powder, 1 tbsp
- dry thyme 1 tablespoon ( or dry basil leaves)
- dry oregano, 2 tbsp
- cumin seeds 2 tbsp
- red chilli flakes - 1 teaspoon (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. For 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 your 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 use any 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 your creations! Please do like us on Facebook too! Thank you for stopping by and I do hope you’ll check my blog again to see what’s new, and all my super easy delightful family recipes as well as all the other dishes I come up with! Have a magnificent day! Enjoy!
Amy Liu Dong says
Such an easy and delicious dish to make.
I really love this dish!
Ashly says
Thanks a lot for this calamari recipe, so simple and beautiful. It was so yumm and tomorrow I have planned to make the ricotta pancakes and the monkfish curry for dinner. I cannot wait! You have some amazing recipe collection in here - I will be a regular visitor for sure 😉
Ramona says
yay!! thanks Ashly! Let me know how you found these too!
Nicole says
I'm not generally a fan of seafood, but I do indulge in calamari occasionally when we dine out. With the pandemic raging, we haven't been out in awhile and I was craving it. Glad to have found this recipe. Love that it was spicy, too. The spice blend is excellent - will definitely use again on many other things.
Ramona says
Thank you nicole!
Ksenia says
I’ve always wanted to make calamari at home, and with your easy recipe, it was a breeze! The taste was fantastic and so easy to make.
Petro says
We love a little spicy kick in our foods and these delicious calamari sound perfect to serve to my family!
Natalie says
I always buy grilled calamari in the store but I think I'll just stop. This is such an easy recipe and looks delicious. I'm saving your recipe to try. Yum! Can't wait.
Mikayla says
I have enjoyed Calamari since I was a little girl, still love it. This was such a treat and it felt extra good eating the non battered ultra healthy version.
Marisa Franca says
Such an easy recipe to make and I'm rewarded with such an amazing taste. We love fried calamari, especially if it's spicy. We made this recipe last night as an appetizer and the family didn't want to eat dinner. I'll be making this again soon.
Colleen says
We love calamari but have never made it at home until now. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe !
Dana says
I did not realize how easy it is to make this until I tried this recipe. Easy to follow and it's so tasty!
Amanda Mason says
This was phenomenal! I'm like you....I can eat seafood everyday and be happy! This was easy to make and I loved every bite!
Amy Liu Dong says
Aww! This is so easy and delicious. I will definitely make this for everyone this weekend. Thank you!
Ana says
This spicy calamari recipe is awesome - so simple to make and has amazing textures as well as flavors. Thank you so much for sharing
Ramona says
Thanks so much, dear Ana, I am so glad you did like it.
Paula Aquilina says
Surely 12-13 minutes is too much resulting in rubbery Kalamari?
Am asking Before trying the recipe as there is nothing worse than rubbery Kalamari
Elizabeth says
This spicy calamari is out of this world delicious! The whole family loved it!
Lexa says
These Calamari were so good, we could not get enough of them! We won‘t eat them out anymore from now on!
Michele Peterson says
This is a delicious way to enjoy calamari - so tender and tasty! Love that it's gluten free.
Jean says
Thanks for bringing up the difference because I get confused too. This spicy version is really good, I need to make my own seasoning too.
Jere Cassidy says
I have never cook calamari and I have only had it deep fried so I am glad to find your recipe. I love the Cajun season for something different.
Debra says
Delish....that cajun powder made the difference!
Susan Foster says
This was excellent. I really appreciate the opportunity to devour some calamari without it being deep fried. I used the spice rub included in the recipe. If you don’t have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle I would still suggest going to head and making this until you get something to fix that issue. I was awaiting a mortar and pestle and went ahead and made it, used it, and I’m glad I did. Very tasty. Thank you.
jill says
You had me at spicy. This recipe was dynamite!
Nery says
That was a wonderful recipe - quick, simple and delicious! I really appreciated the extra instructions on how to make your own Cajun seasoning too.
Thanks, Ramona!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Nery! I really appreciate your feedback!
David says
Really good recipe, I have made it first-time last month and twice since. Simply delicious and totally sin free 😉
Ramona says
Thank you so much David, I am glad you like it too.
Lathiya says
I have tried calamari the first time when we went to San Fransisco but never tried at home. Thank you for the recipe. Will try this sometime.
Ramona says
Thank you dear Lathiya, they’re so easy to make at home and these are carb free no deep fried so super healthy too ??
Emily says
I'm loving seafood lately and this spicy calamari is a winning recipe! So delicious!
Ramona says
Thanks Emily, same here 😉
Jacque Hastert says
One of my favorite appetizers to order at the restaurant. I can't wait to try this at home, bonus is that it is spicy!
Ramona says
Thnks Jacque, mine too 😉 - I never omit nor hesitate ordering it.
Alexis says
Amazing! This dish looks incredible. I love calamari and am going to try this dish for sure.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Alexis.
Amanda says
I'm so with you on seafood, and calamari is one of my favorites! The spicy kick that comes with this calamari is such a fun addition.
Ramona says
Thanks Amanda, the same here - calamari.... any time! I so glad you liked the recipe, I am sure you will be making it soon.
Mikayla says
Yum!! This was a fun treat for us to make at home, we really enjoyed it, great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Mikayla, I am so happy to hear you have made this calamari recipe and thoroughly enjoyed it too!
Jenni LeBaron says
Yum! What a delicious seasoning mix for calamari! I also appreciate that these are sauteed rather than deep fried so they're a little bit healthier because these for sure disappear every time!
Ramona says
Thank you dear Jenni,
I avoid deep frying in general so this calamari are always my choice too, they're simply perfect for my taste.
Constance Smith says
I am not a huge seafood person, but I tried calamari shortly after I got married and discovered that I really liked it. I haven't tried a version like this, so I'm loving this!!
Ramona says
Thank you Constance. Seafood rocks and it is hard not to like it once you try it. I could live on seafood alone 😉
Amy Dong says
Never tried to taste a spicy calamari but I am sure this one is really delicious, will def try making this at home for our dinner.
Ramona says
It is delicious dear Amy, you should definitely try 😉
Stine Mari says
I bet the delicious and spicy cajun seasoning works really well with the calamari rings. Such a nice contrast!
Ramona says
It really does work well with calamari rings indeed. I love the combo. Thank you so much dear Stine.
Jacqui DeBono says
Such a great article, thank you! Calamari is beautiful! This looks so fresh and cooked to perfection!
Lizet says
I'm with you Ramona. I love seafood! But I live in a landlocked country ?But every now and then I buy them frozen.
I've never made calamari before, but I've seen them at the store. I want to buy them and try your recipe. Looks so delicious!
Ramona says
Thank you Lizet, definitely worth a try if you get hol of some squid. I love calamari so much - this is definitely a great guilt-free recipe 😉
Brian Jones says
Oh my that looks wonderful... Seafood is such a rarity in these parts, now I have to go hunting for squid 😀
Ramona says
Hi Brian, oops, I have put you in a seafood hunt mode now but it is all worth it. 😉 I hope you will be able to find some nice squid 😉
Caroline says
We're big seafood fans as well, and often get calamari out, but I rarely make it at home. This looks delicious!
Ramona says
Thank you Caroline, same here but out I find the calamari are not always good and they are full with batter sometimes hard to find the real stuff which is why I prefer making it at home every time I get a chance 😉
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Calamari is one of my favourites and I always order it when we go out. This version looks so good that I will be trying it at home very soon!
Ramona says
Thank yu I love calamari a lot but when we go out and order them it’s always a lotery, either too much batter or far too oily. I just love these batter and almost oil free version as I can eat buckets of them 😉
Lesli Schwartz says
I love calamari, but often won't eat it fried. This sauteed version is excellent! Thank you! I might add some fresh parsley at the end also.
Ramona says
Hi Lesli, fresh parsley is a gread addition - definitely! Enjoy!;-)
Katie says
There's no oil measurement just to let you know! Making this recipe now 🙂
Ramona says
Hi Katie
Thank you for your comment. Oil quantity is down to everyone's liking but anything between 1-3tbsp will work well. I will add the oil quantity info now so it will be mentioned.
Do let me know how you liked the dish
Ramona 😉
Mel says
Just made this recipe and it's absolutely delicious! my new favourite starter
Ramona says
Thank you Mel, ??
I'm so glad you liked it!
Ramona xx
Feyi says
This is a really easy and delicious recipe. No carbs and gluten free too. Loved it and will definitely make it my to go calamari recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Ramona says
Thank you so much Feyi for your feedback. Much appreciated.