Calamares a la Romana (Spanish Battered Squid Rings)

Squid rings in a light, crisp batter, fried until golden and served with lemon.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 35 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g squid tubes, cleaned and cut into 1cm rings
  • 50g plain flour, for dusting
  • For the batter: 100g plain flour
  • For the batter: 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • For the batter: 1 large egg
  • For the batter: 150ml sparkling water
  • For the batter: 1/2 tsp salt
  • About 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep frying
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges
  • Flaky sea salt, to taste

Method

  1. Pat the squid dry with kitchen paper. Whisk the batter ingredients together until just combined, leaving a few small lumps, and rest for 10 minutes.

  2. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based pan, filling it no more than one-third full, to 180°C, using a cooking thermometer. Never leave hot oil unattended.

  3. Toss the squid in the dusting flour, shake off the excess, then dip into the batter. Fry in 3 or 4 batches for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp and golden.

  4. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve straight away with the lemon wedges.