Pan-fried Calamari Rings

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 16 ounces frozen squid rings, thawed under running water (i got mine at trader joe's)
• 1 cup flour (or less, if you think you can get away with it, just add more as you go if you start with less than)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 (6 ounce) package panko breadcrumbs (japanese bread crumbs)
• oil, for frying

Recipe

• 1 mix together flour, cayenne and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
• 2 feel free to add other ingredients to the flour mix if you want--any herbs or zests (like lemon) would be great.
• 3 put 3 eggs in a bowl (cracked, of course!) and beat lightly.
• 4 place panko on a plate.
• 5 start heating oil to med-high heat in medium-large pan on stovetop.
• 6 dip a few thawed calamari rings into the flour.
• 7 toss till coated.
• 8 dip flour-coated rings into the egg mixture.
• 9 toss flour- and egg-coated rings with panko.
• 10 (an easy way to do this is to have the panko in a plastic ziploc bag--and toss.) shake off excess panko and put in preheated oil on stovetop.
• 11 don't crowd the pan!
• 12 allowing enough space between rings will ensure that they all cook evenly.
• 13 pan fry till panko is golden and calamari is tender.
• 14 don't overcook---overcooked calamari tastes like rubber!
• 15 serve with dipping sauces of your choice; i like mean's aioli (#54833).
• 16 enjoy.
• 17 and then go for a run or take a nap.
• 18 (this makes 4 servings for an appetizer, if you are looking for a substantial appy, or maybe 2-3 servings for a full meal. this is a filling dish).