Calamari boccadillo

Name: Calamari boccadillo
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: whole calamari (about 600g); sunflower or other mild-flavoured oil for deep frying; sea salt flakes; 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice; 100g fine semolina; 1/2 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 12 small buns; *12 tbsp garlic mayonnaise; 24 guindilla peppers; * A recipe for garlic mayonnaise

February 12, 2014

Seafood in a sandwich is a winner according to MoVida's Frank Camorra.Marina Oliphant

Time:30 mins - 1 hourMakes:12

I love a good sandwich and have done since I was very young. Seafood in a sandwich is another of my favourites, whether it is poached prawns, crab meat or even a fried piece of fish. Add a flavoured mayonnaise and something with some punch, such as pickles or spicy peppers, and that's it. Keep it simple. Fried calamari is one of the most flavoursome fillings I have tried - once you put garlic mayonnaise and spicy guindilla peppers in the mix, it's hard to stop at just one bun.

Ingredients

whole calamari (about 600g)
sunflower or other mild-flavoured oil for deep frying
sea salt flakes
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
100g fine semolina
1/2 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
12 small buns
*12 tbsp garlic mayonnaise
24 guindilla peppers
* A recipe for garlic mayonnaise click here

Method

To clean the calamari, take hold of its tentacles and pull them out of the hood. Cut tentacles from the mouth and discard the mouth, cartilage and innards.
Peel skin from the hood and wings. Gently tear off the wings from the hood. Cut the cartilage from the wings and discard. Cut the hood in half along what appears to be a seam. Remove clear quill and scrape away any remaining innards.
Separate tentacles with a sharp knife and cut into five-centimetre lengths. Cut the hood and wings into five-centimetre by five-millimetre strips. Rinse the calamari pieces and drain well.
Then, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or deep-fryer to 180C or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil takes 15 seconds to turn golden.
Place calamari in a bowl. Season with a good few pinches of salt, add the lemon juice and sprinkle over the semolina. Mix well.
Shake off excess semolina and deep-fry the calamari for one minute to 90 seconds or until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel. Season with salt and sprinkle with parsley.
To serve, cut rolls in half. Spread about a tablespoon of garlic mayonnaise over the bases; top with two guindillas and some fried calamari. Sandwich the tops and secure with a wooden skewer.