Have you ever tried Calamari tacos? If not, you might want to as they are nice change from the usual beef, chicken, and even fish tacos. In particular these Squid tacos are crispy crunchy with a slightly salty, peppery and lime notes. It’s a seafood taco with tangy creamy slaw wrapped in a lightly charred mini soft taco. Yum.
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What makes these calamari tacos so good is the panko crumbs. It makes them super crunchy on the outside and soft and velvety on the inside. This is a quick recipe to make and is easy to throw together mid week when things are busy and you need a healthy dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.
How To Prepare the Calamari
Calamari is really simple to cook with and it cooks quickly. Faster than chicken, and faster than fish.
The best type of calamari to buy is calamari tubes or hoods which you can get from the fresh seafood section of the supermarket, or you can buy it prepacked from the frozen seafood section as well.
When I’m making calamari tacos, I usually buy fresh calamari tubes, but if you have frozen ones that need defrosting, take them out about the day before and let them defrost in the fridge, or let them defrost naturally on the bench for an hour before you start.
Love tacos like me? You might like to check these out:
The great thing is that when you buy calamari tubes, there is very little preparation. Generally no cleaning or washing is required as they come ready to start cooking with.
To prepare the calamari, pat dry with paper towel to remove any excess moisture and slice it one of two ways:
- In Circles: this is my preference. Evenly slice the hoods in 1cm strips and you’ll end up with circles or rounds.
- In shapes: cut down one side of the hood and make random shapes as small or big as you like. I recommend nothing smaller than 1cm wide by 3 cm high
Once you have cut the calamari, it’s ready for the crumb coating.
How to make Crispy, Tender Calamari
To get that delicious golden crunch on the calamari there are two things
- Egg Wash: the egg wash helps the crumb to stick to the calamari and is an essential step. Each piece of calamari should be dipped into the egg wash before it goes into the crumb coating
- Panko magic crumb combination: this is a mix of panko crumbs, cornflour (or cornstarch, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and dried parsley). It provides just the right amount of flavour and texture without overpowering the delicate calamari inside.
Best type of oil to use
I used coconut oil for this recipe and it worked really well. I’d avoid using coconut oil spray. The quality needed for lightly frying is better achieved with one that comes in a jar.
TIP: The oil you use for lightly frying these calamari tacos can affect the end taste and quality. If coconut oil isn’t your thing, you could substitute peanut oil.
How long to cook for
Once the oil is hot, the calamari will cook quickly. I like to cook it in batches so that each calamari piece doesn’t touch other ones. (This ensure that the crumb stays where it should)
I cook each batch of calamari for a couple of minutes each side, using a spoon or pair of tongs to gently turn. It’s kind of like making doughnuts!
If you’re unsure about cooking calamari, you can always set a timer for 2 minutes, turn, then another 2 minutes to ensure all pieces are getting an equal amount of cook time.
How to know if the Calamari is cooked
The best way is to test a piece of calamari that has been cooked as part of your first batch. Let it cool for a few minutes and then cut a piece off and look at the white flesh.
- It should be bright white with no sign of translucency.
- It should be soft but not squishy between your fingers
- The crumbs should be golden
- If it looks or feels rubbery, it’s overcooked
Of course you could always have a taste, but only do this is you pretty sure it’s actually cooked!
Top Tips for Making Calamari Tacos
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the calamari. How to check? Add a little piece of panko and see if the oil sizzles. If it does, then it’s ready. If the calamari is added to oil that has not yet heated it will absorb much more of the oil during the cooking process and will not crisp up as well.
- Before putting the tacos together, dry fry them before hand so they’re not rubbery. I like to use a griddle pan (no oil) to get a little char on them. Alternatively you could just heat a pan on high and heat each taco one at a time until a little bit of colour appears.
- I would avoid microwaving the soft tacos as it tends to make them softer and kind of squishy. Dry frying them is the way to go.
- A slaw is definitely necessary to balance the flavour and texture with something creamy. Make the slaw first and set aside, then make the dressing and set aside. Dress the slaw just before you’re ready to assemble the tacos.
These calamari tacos are one of my favourites. They’re such a crowd pleaser that I’ve made them for dinner, lunch, and for guests at our Saturday night fire and wine nights.
I mean who doesn’t love tacos. I personally love these tacos because they’re different but with all the crispy, crunchy familiarity of a good old fashioned taco!
More Mexican Recipes:
- Healthy Ground Beef Burrito Bowl (one of my most popular recipes)
- Pulled Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Salmon Burrito Bowls
- Fish Tacos win Pineapple Salsa
- Easy Crispy Prawn Tacos with Slaw
Crispy Calamari Tacos
It’s a seafood taco with tangy creamy slaw wrapped in a lightly charred mini
soft taco
Ingredients
- 1 pound (½ kilfresh or frozen calamari or squid tubes
- ½ cup All purpose flour
- ½ cup Cornflour or Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Garlic salt or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
- 2 eggs
Slaw
- 1 cup shredded Wombok Cabbage
- 1 medium Red Capsicum/Pepper chopped into thin matchsticks
- 1 medium Green Capsicum/Pepper chopped into thin matchsticks
- ½ Red/Spanish onion thinly sliced
Dressing
- ⅓ cup Whole Egg Mayonaise
- 1 tablespoon Srirarcha for mild - (1 ½ tablespoons for medium)
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Finely grated ginger
- 1 Crushed garlic glove
Other
- ½ cup Coconut oil
- 10 Small Soft Tacos
- Corriander/cilantro
Instructions
- Make the Slaw First: chop all 4 ingredients and place into a mixing bowl
- Make the Dressing next: Add the dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together until combined. Add one tablespoon of dressing to the slaw and mix in.
- Heat the Oil: Place a medium sized pan with sides onto the stove. Add the oil and set to medium high heat.
- Prepare the Calamari: Cut the calamari tubes into 1cm strips so that you end up with rounds.
- In a new mixing bowl, place the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, dried parsley and panko breadcrumbs. Mix together with a spoon.
- Crack the 2 eggs into another bowl and whisk with a fork until mixed together and runny.
- Add the squid tubes to the egg wash, then take out one by one and place into the flour/crumb mix. Shake off excess and set aside on a plate. Repeat until all calamari have been dipped into egg wash first and then flour/crumb mix.
- Shallow fry the calamari in batches for approx. 2 mins each or until golden. It will cook very quickly, and if overcooked it will become rubbery and tough.
- Drain calamari on absorbent towel to remove any excess oil.
- 1Prepare Soft Tacos: Heat a new (cleapan on the stove top on high heat. Add the soft tacos one by one to heat and get a little colour on. (Alternatively if you have a grill pan that works great too). Repeat until all tacos are done. Wrap in a tea towel or foil until needed.
- 1Assemble Taco: Place taco in one hand and spoon a little sauce on bottom, followed by slaw, calamari, more sauce , a drizzle of lime and coriander/cilantro.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for 1 taco.
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the calamari. How to check? Add a little piece of panko and see if the oil sizzles. If it does, then it’s ready. If the calamari is added to oil that has not yet heated it will absorb much more of the oil during the cooking process and will not crisp up as well.
- Before putting the tacos together, dry fry them before hand so they’re not rubbery. I like to use a griddle pan (no oil) to get a little char on them. Alternatively you could just heat a pan on high and heat each taco one at a time until a little bit of colour appears.
- I would avoid microwaving the soft tacos as it tends to make them softer and kind of squishy. Dry frying them is the way to go.
- How to know if the calamari is cooked? The best way is to test a piece of calamari that has been cooked as part of your first batch. Let it cool for a few minutes and then cut a piece off and look at the white flesh.
- It should be bright white with no sign of translucency.
- It should be soft but not squishy between your fingers
- The crumbs should be golden
- If it looks or feels rubbery, it’s overcooked
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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Karly
I've never made fried calamari but my husband would love this. Worth trying!