– Pan Grilled Calamari – Healthy Recipe for Grilled Squid –
Calamari is a food that is consumed by the boat loads in Spain, as well as most of western Europe. Now, for most of us when we think of calamari, we instantly get images of perfectly fried squid rings along side some marinara sauce, heaven on a plate. However, in truth, calamari is so much more that just fried up rings! (which is one of my personal favorite apps in life!).
Now back to reality, this recipe of pan grilled calamari is super healthy and really brings out the natural flavors in this beautiful cephalopods (FYI: squid is not a fish nor a shell fish, they are actually cephalopods!) Anyway, enough with what squid is or not, this dish has an incredible flavor and can be served as an appetizer or a main dish, along side some roasted potatoes and a salad.
In Spain, finding squid in the super market is a dime a dozen, they are everywhere! However, you can find these extact squids that are used in this recipe at your local Asian market, they usually have them in the frozen section.
The secret to a good squid/calamari on the grill, is to not over-cook it, it becomes rubbery and unsatisfying 🙁 . Watch the video below on how to make this pan grilled calamari or print out the recipe card below. Salud!
Watch the Video Below on How to Make Pan Grilled Calamari – Healthy Recipe for Grilled Squid
Pan Grilled Calamari - Healthy Recipe for Grilled Squid
Ingredients
- 1 Cleaned Tube of Squid
- 1 Clove of Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Spanish Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon
- 3 Basil Leafs
- 1 Tomato
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Parsley
- Sea Salt
- Ground Pepper
Instructions
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Finely mince 1 clove of garlic and add to a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin Spanish olive oil and the juice of half a lemon and whisk everything together until well mixed
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Grab 1 cleaned tube of squid (if you bought frozen, thaw it and pat it dry) and cut strips on top of the body that are about 1/4 inch apart, but without cutting all the way through
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Add the marinade you made on top of the calamari and rub throughout the entire squid, then season the squid with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and some dried parsley
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Heat a non-stick frying pan with a medium heat, once the pan get´s hot add the squid to the pan, cook between 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate
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Using the same pan with the same heat add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin Spanish olive oil to the pan and cook 2 tomato halfs face down for about 3 minutes
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Transfer the cooked tomato halfs to the plate, drizzle with some extra virgin Spanish olive oil and season with sea salt and some dried oregano
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Garnish the dish with some fresh parsley and some lemon slices
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Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
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[…] Pan-grilled calamari […]
14 . Apr . 2023Jim Allen
I made this recipe a couple days ago and they came out perfectly delicious. I’d never had calamari prepared whole like this until I moved to Spain last year (to Valencia in fact!) My favorite local restaurant used to make calamari like this and I loved it. Unfortunately the restaurant did not survive the COVID shutdowns here. But now I can make it at home!! Thanks for a great recipe!
17 . Sep . 2021Spain on a Fork
That stinks they did not survive the covid shutdown, but so happy you get to enjoy the dish now at home! thanks for the comment 🙂 much love
17 . Sep . 2021jawad
Nice and quick recipe made tasty with less ingredients.
27 . Apr . 2021Spain on a Fork
Thanks for the comment 🙂 Much love!
30 . Apr . 2021Briony
Hiya
07 . Feb . 2020That was the most succinct simple instruction I have seen on a recipe video for a very long time, even an absolute beginner would find your recipe easy to follow
( they can make additions to personal taste over time )
Simple and Informative
Excellent thank you
Spain on a Fork
I appreciate the comment Briony 🙂 much love
08 . Feb . 2020Dave Wolfendale
Get rid of the racket.
03 . Nov . 2019