Calamares a la Romana
The quintessential Spanish tapas bar favorite: tender calamari rings coated in a light, crispy, golden batter, served alongside a rich, textured red dipping sauce and fresh lemon wedges.
25 min
Easy
Española
4 servings
The story behind
You seriously have absolutely no idea what an incredible, deeply rewarding and crunch-shattering experience these fried rings deliver—it genuinely transports you directly to a sunny beachside terrace! The first time I attempted to make traditional calamares a la romana at home, they turned out completely rubbery and the soggy batter slid right off the meat. It was heartbreaking. But then, an old Andalusian chef proudly shared the ultimate golden rule: you must pat the squid rings completely bone-dry with paper towels before dusting them with flour, and the batter liquid must be ice-cold sparkling water or beer straight from the freezer combined with a touch of baking soda. This thermal shock causes the coating to instantly puff up into a feather-light, intensely crispy shell upon hitting the oil. Personally, I absolutely love whipping this up on hot summer weekends to enjoy alongside ice-cold beers. It looks completely identical to the photo layout when you stack the piping hot rings into a beautiful circular mound over fresh leaves, nestle a small metallic ramekin filled with a rich, textured tomato sauce right in the center, and flank the sides with juicy lemon wedges, exactly like the presentation in Calamares a la romana.jpg. You will fall in love with it!
Instructions
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1Rinse your calamari rings thoroughly and pat them dry obsessively, piece by piece, using heavy-duty paper towels. Moisture is the ultimate enemy of a crispy, adherent batter coating.
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2Toss the dry squid rings into a shallow plate filled with extra flour for a quick dry dust coat. Shake off all excess loose flour aggressively and set aside on a clean tray.
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3To build your rustic batter base, sift the cup of all-purpose flour into a large bowl alongside the baking powder and a teaspoon of fine salt.
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4In a separate bowl, whisk the large egg and combine it with your sparkling mineral water or beer, which must be intensely cold straight from the freezer.
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5Stream the ice-cold liquids into the flour mixture, whisking rapidly but briefly. Don't worry if a few small lumps remain; keeping the batter slightly shaggy and cold guarantees a light expansion.
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6Pour your oil into a deep pan or deep-fryer and bring it up to 180°C over high heat. The oil is ready when a drop of batter bubbles and floats up instantly.
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7Dip your dusted squid rings cleanly into the cold wet batter, ensuring full enveloping coverage on every loop.
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8Lower the coated rings into the hot oil in small batches to prevent crowding, which would crash the oil temperature. Fry for only 1.5 to 2 minutes total, turning once, until they display a stunning pale golden hue matching the image. Overcooking will render them rubbery.
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9Lift out using a slotted spoon and drain immediately over paper towels to wick away surface oils. Scatter an extra pinch of sea salt while blazing hot.
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10To flawlessly mirror the presentation structure of Calamares a la romana.jpg, layer a bed of green lettuce leaves on a wide plate, assemble the crispy calamari rings in a gorgeous wreath pattern, seat the metal sauce ramekin directly in the center gap, and nestle fresh lemon wedges cleanly into the side spaces.
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