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Fried Calamari - Traditional Christmas Eve Recipe

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Easy recipe for making delicious fried calamari at home

On Christmas Eve at our house we enjoy a traditional seafood dinner. The menu changes from year to year depending on how many guests we are having and what the family budget looks like but the one dish that has been present every single Christmas Eve for the past twenty five years is Fried Calamari.

Fried calamari, also known as fried squid, or Calamari Fritti in Italian, is a delicious treat that is very economical to make.

Although we are becoming more and more health conscious and try to limit the amount of fried food we eat during the year, at Christmas we loosen up a bit and enjoy these "Italian Potato Chips" without guilt.

Of course you can use this recipe all year round but for my family, it wouldn't be Christmas Eve without the fried calamari.

Give your Squid a Milk Bath

I learned this trick from the chef at a favorite restaurant of mine.
Soaking the squid in milk prior to frying will keep the squid tender.

Fried Calamari Recipe

Recipe for Fried Squid

Here's my recipe for delicious tender-on-the-inside crispy-on-the-outside fried calamari. The secret to keeping your calamari tender is the milk bath!

Ingredients

2 pounds squid - properly cleaned and sliced into 1/4 inch rings
Milk (enough to cover your calamari rings)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Olive oil for frying - to cut costs use vegetable or Canola oil
Salt
1 lemon - sliced into wedges
Marinara sauce - optional

Directions

I always start with fresh pre-cleaned squid purchased at the fish market. You can clean your own but for me it's just not worth the extra time and trouble.

Slice the body section of the squidcrosswise into 1/4 inch rings.

Wash the squid, place it into a bowl and cover with milk.

Let the squid marinate in the milk for several hours before cooking.

When it's time to cook the squid, drain the milk.

Dip the squid rings into flour to coat evenly.

Discard unused flour.

Pour Olive oil to a depth of 1 inch in a large frying pan and heat until hot.

Add the squid rings a few at a time and fry until golden brown.

Remove the fried calamari using a slotted spoon and drain on clean paper towels.

Sprinkle with salt and place fried calamari onto a platter accompanied by sliced lemon wedges and a bowl of warm marinara sauce.

Company's Coming for Christmas Eve

You'll need more calamari and a bigger skillet!

And I've found a real beauty of a 12 inch skillet for you from Innova!

Imagine a non-stick fry pan that's tough enough to use your favorite metal utensils with. It even comes with a 25 year warranty. Now that's what I call a good fried calamari frying pan!

It may cost a little bit more but you get what you pay for!

Innova Kitchen Basics 18/10 Stainless Steel 12-Inch Open Fry-Pan with Non-Stick Interior

Amazon Price: $49.00 (as of 02/17/2012)

* 18/10 stainless steel
* Encapsulated bottoms with thick aluminum disc for even heat distribution covered with easy cleaning 18/10 stainless steel
* Stay cool durable phenolic handle is ergonomically designed
* Excalibur nonstick interior. So tough and durable you can use metal utensils.
* 25 year warranty

Traditional Seafood Dinner on Christmas Eve

Feast of the Seven Fishes

Variety of Fried Seafood with Lemons Photographic Print
30 in. x 40 in.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Why We Eat Fish on Christmas Eve

The tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the medieval Roman Catholic tradition of abstinence-in this case, refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products-on Fridays and specific holy days. As no meat or butter could be used, observant Catholics would instead eat fish, typically fried in oil.

There are many hypotheses for what the number "7" relates to, one being the number of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Another theory is that seven is a number representing perfection: the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.

The "Feast of the Seven Fishes" started in Italy. A dinner on Christmas Eve is celebrated with meals of fish and seafood, but there may be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional. The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is Baccalà (salted cod fish). Reasons for celebrating with such a simple fish as Baccalà is attributed to the greatly impoverished regions of Southern Italy. Fried Smelts, calamari, and other types of seafood have been incorporated into the Christmas Eve dinner over the years, and sensationalized with the American version of "The Seven Fishes."
Source

Christmas Chip and Dip Platter

Perfect for serving Fried Calamari with Marinara Sauce

This pretty Christmas Chip and Dip set works double duty as a perfect server for your Fried Calamari with a side of marinara sauce,

Buy two and use the second one for serving Shrimp Cocktail!

Nikko Ceramics Christmas Giftware Chip & Dip

Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 02/17/2012)

* 2-piece chip and dip bowl and platter
* Crafted from fine white ironstone
* Classically decorated tree serves as focal point of design
* Complements other Nikko Ceramics holiday patterns
* Safe in the microwave, oven, and dishwasher

Beautiful Christmas Platters

Perfect for serving your Christmas eve Fried Calamari

Click the product links to learn more about these beautiful Christmas platters available for you direct from from Amazon.com.

Christmas Eve Seafood Cookbook

The Eve of Seven Fishes: Christmas Cooking In The Peasant Tradition

The recipes, stories, and history in The Eve of Seven Fishes will take you back to the simple days of your youth, from opening Christmas presents after enjoying the mouthwatering meal of anchovy spaghetti, fried smelts, and Baccala, to savoring the smell of garlic and the company of Uncle Tony and Cousin Vinnie.

Author Robert A. Germano entices your taste buds with his delectably authentic Italian recipes from the Old Country. With recipes centered around the simple Italian meal prepared on Christmas Eve, you'll savor the flavor of garlic and basil in Germano's homemade spaghetti sauce and learn how to make true Italian biscotti.

The kitchen was the heart of the Italian home. Not only was it a place to cook, but it was also the entertainment area for gossip, arguments, solving riddles, and more laughter than your cheeks could endure.

The Eve of Seven Fishes: Christmas Cooking In The Peasant Tradition

by: Robert Germano

Amazon Price: $10.50 (as of 02/17/2012)

Paperback: 110 pages
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (September 1, 2005)
Language: English

Christmas Cookbooks

You'll find more of my favorite Christmas Cookbooks here.

More Fried Calamari and Christmas Eve Seafood Recipes

Seafood Recipes: Here's a few recipes guaranteed to tickle any seafood lover's tastebuds. After trying these recipes, I bet you'll want to experience every type of fish the ocean has to offer, so get out of that frozen fish section in your local supermarket, and head on down your fresh seafood market and start enjoy
Fried Calamari Recipe : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network: Food Network invites you to try this Fried Calamari recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.
Fried Calamari Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Food Network: Food Network invites you to try this Fried Calamari recipe from Emeril Lagasse.
Fried Calamari Recipe - Italian Food: Calmari Fritto -- A great antipasto - Fried Calamari Recipe - Italian Food is a personally written site at BellaOnline
Christmas Eve Recipes: A gathering of traditional seafood Christmas eve recipes.

Do you serve a traditional seafood dinner, including fried calamari, on Christmas Eve?

Share your favorite traditional Christmas Eve recipe here!

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rubens Jan 20, 2012 @ 6:56 pm | delete

It sounds good. I'll try and let everybody here know how good it was. By the way I've been trying those recipes from big shot celebrities and none became as good as those in the sports bars.

Reply

Deadicated Dec 26, 2011 @ 1:11 pm | delete

I use to when my parents were alive, but 7 fishes are a bit much for one person. Lol I added you to my Zeppole lens under "It's an Italian Thing" featured lenses; I unlocked a Squid Ad this week. Happy New Year!

Reply

ViolinStudent Nov 25, 2011 @ 1:19 pm | delete

No, but after reading this I'm tempted. I love fried calamari, but have never made it!

Reply

poddys Dec 12, 2010 @ 4:16 pm | delete

Wow this is so completely different to our family traditions for Christmas Eve, but I think it's wonderful. Calamari is a lot lighter to eat than many things, and so leaves you more room for the heavy rich Christmas Dinner.

Reply

fishwholesalers Oct 12, 2010 @ 6:44 am | delete

thanks for sharing that info about the milk on calamari....i had always trouble with calamari because it won't come out tender and my dad usually puts egg with the flour so it tasted more like fried egg than fried squid. i'll definitely try your recipe. thank you so much!

i enjoyed reading through your lens...it's very interesting and learned so much from it. thanks.

buy the freshest fish and seafoods from your trusted fish wholesalers

Reply

Wednesday_Elf Sep 11, 2010 @ 5:44 am | delete

Fried Calamari -- yum.... Can I come over Christmas Eve? :).

Interesting to read about seafood being a traditional Christmas Eve dinner. I wasn't aware of the history behind that, but many, many years ago we began having a shrimp stir fry with rice meal on Christmas Eve and it has now become our 'family tradition'! Lensrolled to my Reflections of the Sea Christmas lens and leaving behind a ~~sprinkling of Angel Dust~~

Reply

sandralynnsparks Sep 8, 2010 @ 12:27 pm | delete

Robin, I have always loved calamari - never thought about having it for Christmas Eve. Nice lens!