More Pleasures of the Sea

Growing up near the coast meant that I am not a stranger to sea food. We grew up eating things like crab curry and fried fish often. There is one sea food that I didn't get introduced to until after leaving home, but has now become a staple in my home - Calamari.

My mother near used to eat calamari, so we never had it at home. Times have changed and even my Mom loves it now. I always have a bag in the freezer and love to use it when I am looking for a quick supper. It is such a versatile ingredient. Whether you add it to a simple tomato pasta sauce or make batter and deep fry, you are always guaranteed of a quick nutritious supper.

I had a day off yesterday for Yom Kippur. I had a wonderful day relaxing and not thinking about supper until six o'clock when Markwin came through with his daily questions of "What time is supper?" followed shortly by "What's for supper?". The pressure was on!

I went to the freezer, took out "THE BAG", threw it into a bowl, poured hot water over to soften and heated the wok. But this time it was 6.05pm and I was already half way through making supper!

Calamari in a Hurry

800g Calamari (defrosted in hot water and then dried)
30 ml corm flour
15ml Jenny Morris Chilli and Lime Spice (or plain chilli powder)
Salt and Pepper
1 Lemon

Heat the wok until smoking.
In a ziploc bag mix the corn flour and spices.
Add the calamari and shake until coated.
Add 15ml of oil and then the calamari.
Depending on the size of your wok, you might need to do this in batches.
Move the calamari around in the wok so it does not stick.
Fry the calamari until done (shouldn't be more than 5 minutes).
Once it is cooked, squeeze over the juice of the lemon.
Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon, chips and a large green salad.