Recipe: Spaghetti with Fried Calamari

The following recipe was adapted from the an edition of Bon Appetit. I got the squid in the frozen section of a local grocery store. At least a third of the package was tentacles, so keep that in mind; the recipe below says just to use the body. The tentacles, actually, are my favorite part, so I was happy to use them, but I understand I'm in the minority with this predilection.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound cleaned squid, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings
• 2 cups olive oil
• 2 cups canola oil
• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
• Lemon wedges

Directions

1. Line rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Whisk flour, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, baking powder, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl to blend. Working in batches, toss squid rings in flour mixture to coat, then place rings in single layer on sheet of foil.
2.Pour both oils into large skillet. When oil is hot but not smoking, and a speck of flour sizzles in the oil, working in batches, add squid rings to hot oil and cook until light golden and crisp around edges, 2 to 4 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer squid to paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add butter and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and toss to coat pasta. Add 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid and toss. Mix in 1/3 cup parsley. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, adding more lemon juice and pasta cooking liquid, if desired.
4. Transfer pasta to large bowl; top with calamari. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

This recipe was adapted by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on March 30, 2011.