Spicy Curry Calamari

~One of the first things I learned in the kitchen was cleaning and gutting squid. When we were assigned the task of dissecting squid in middle school, all the other kids were more than reluctant to touch it. My biology teacher was delighted to discover she had at least one student who was not repelled.  At the end of class, I helped her clean and gut all the squid. Then we sauteed them in garlic and butter. I recall that day as the highlight of my middle school year. 

Ingredients

1/2 lb fresh whole squid

1 tbsp Madras curry powder

½ tsp cayenne

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

2 cups flour

2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro- finely chopped

oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Gut and clean squid. Slice body into rings and leave tentacles intact. Pat dry and season with curry/cayenne/salt/pepper. Mix into squid thoroughly and marinate for 15min.
2. In a large bowl, toss seasoned squid thoroughly with flour, so all pieces are individual and not clumped together.
3. In a medium sized pot, heat oil to 350 degrees.
4. Place squid into oil individually. Fry until golden, approximately 45 – 60 seconds.
5. In a plate lined with paper towel, place calamari to cool and soak up excess oil.
6. Mound cooked calamari on serving plate. Garnish with chopped cilantro.