Fried calamari is one of my favorite foods. When it is lightly floured and cooked in fresh oil, rather than in a constantly reused deep-fryer, it is spectacular. But, sadly enough, I have found it to be one of the most poorly made dishes on my travels across the United States. So, if you long for good fried calamari, make yourself a batch at home. Here is my simple recipe.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　Vegetable oil, for frying

　　1 1/2 pounds calamari (bodies and tentacles), cleaned, bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings

　　1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, for dredging

　　Kosher salt

　　

Step 1

Pour enough vegetable oil into a wide pan to come about 1 inch up the sides. Heat the oil over medium heat to about 365 degrees F, or until the edge of a piece of calamari sizzles on contact.

　　

Step 2

Pat the calamari dry with paper towels. Separate the bodies from the tentacles. Dredge the bodies in flour, and shake excess off in a strainer. Lower the bodies into the oil, and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat beneath the oil until you are ready to fry again. Drain the calamari on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet, and season with kosher salt.

　　

Step 3

Bring the oil back to frying temperature. Repeat the dredging process with the tentacles. Fry the tentacles until golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Be careful when frying the tentacles: they tend to squirt more than the bodies, because they trap moisture. Drain the tentacles on paper towels and season with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.