INGREDIENTS:
For the Marinara:
- 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 & ½ cups crushed plum tomatoes (canned are fine)
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon (or more, to taste) red pepper flakes
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow corn meal (medium stone ground works very well)
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt (or Kosher, if you can’t find sea salt)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lb squid (calamari), cleaned
- Lemon wedges, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make the Marinara:
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and then add the garlic over medium-low heat until the garlic softens and is fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, and the red pepper flakes.
- Increase the heat to medium, and bring to a simmer.
- Return the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and set aside (still covered).
Make the Calamari:
- Heat your deep fryer to 350 F, or pour vegetable oil to a depth of 3 inches into a large skillet. Heat to 350 F.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.
- Cut the squid bodies crosswise into ¼-inch wide rings and leave the tentacles whole (you may need to cut off extra long tentacles).
- Toss ⅓ of the calamari in the flour mixture to coat evenly, shaking off the excess.
- In 3 batches, carefully add the coated squid to the hot oil and deep-fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked calamari to a wire rack on top of baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you coat and fry the remaining squid.
- Once all calamari is cooked, spoon the marinara into individual dipping bowls.
- Transfer the fried calamari to a platter with lemon wedges, and marinara on the side.
- Serve and enjoy.