Gluten Free Calamari Rings

I love calamari. And I am not a huge lover of seafood or deep fried foods. I am the person who only orders fries from certain restaurants and only if I feel like it. I can resist and usually do. With my gall bladder- its actually necessary that I do. But if there is a place that offers calamari my taste buds start to produce copious amounts of saliva and the story changes. I would make detours in to the food court to have them. But going Gluten-free meant giving them up for good.

I am not sure I can express the joy I felt the first time I saw frozen, unbreaded calamari rings in the freezer section of my local grocery store. I didn't even check the price, into my cart they went. I was up for the challenge and work to make them for myself.

So I conscripted my mother to help me try a few recipes to find the best one. This one won the collective vote of my family members. We are a little loose on our measuring technique so eyeball it and have some fun.

Deep-fried Calamari Rings

1/2 cup Brown rice flour
1/4 cup Tapioca starch
1/2 Tbsp total Dried spices of your choice

3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1 Egg

1/4 cup Milk or substitute

1/2 lb Calamari rings, thawed

Cocktail sauce

 

First, combine the dry ingredients. I used about 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion salt, 3/4 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp chili powder for my seasoning. Paprika was my heaviest flavour since it was suggested by most of the recipes I found.

 

Then, mix the egg and milk together. I used a lactose-free milk. Put the thawed calamari in the milk mix and let it soak for at least half an hour. You could omit the egg, but we discovered that it made the rings plump up and stay tender. It also helped make a better crusting.

 

In small batches transfer some of the calamari into the flour mix. Use a Ziploc or container so you can shake well. Place the pieces into a fryer basket and fry until golden brown. We found that they brown quickly and placing the pieces in the oil one at a time caused uneven browning of the batch.

 

Remove from oil. Drain on a paper towel. Serve warm with a side of shrimp cocktail sauce (and lemon wedges if that is your thing). This should be a light appetizer for about 2 to 3 people?

 

I am open to trying a few more recipes if you have one you think is better...