You’re going to love this big ass Summer salad topped with crispy fried calamari. This salad hits every crave-able note. Earlier this year for twenty-nine days straight, I ate a big ass salad, and this was one of them. Sometimes when I want something very naughty, but know I also need my veggies, I do what any sane person would do and combine the two. This gorgeous salad that eats as a meal is filled with a beautiful bounty of fresh veggies and lightly draped in a honey-lemon vinaigrette.
Before you grab the buttermilk…
This calamari isn’t heavy, nor so thickly-coated that all you get is breading and barely any ‘mari. I like my fried calamari to be crispy of course, but I don’t want the breading to hide that tender squid at all. This recipe works because we use plain whole milk instead of buttermilk for the soak and dredge. While it’s true that buttermilk will absolutely tenderize the squid, the truth is, so will milk. Squid is so delicate, you’ll realize milk will give you the same tenderizing effect as buttermilk without that heavy coating. Bottom line, buttermilk is too thick. But if it’s all you have on hand, thin it out with water.
Dairy-Free Milk Can Be Used
I don’t drink whole milk at all. I can eat dairy in other forms and be completely fine. I can use whole milk in recipes and be completely fine. However, I cannot drink it. It doesn’t end well for me lol. Because of that, I only buy whole milk for certain recipes and I buy the smallest carton/jug at a time so that nothing is wasted.
If you obviously aren’t vegan/vegetarian, but maybe you have lactose issues? Check out the brand “Ripple”. It’s a plant-based milk that works beautifully when used to replace cow’s milk in most applications. Whenever I’m doing a vegan recipe for something that needs to be breaded and fried using “milk” as an ingredient for dredging, Ripple is that girl. You can even add vinegar to it to make a vegan buttermilk.
Tips for Frying
- Fry it in two batches. Frying it in batches prevents the temperature of the oil from dropping too significantly, which would cause a soggy coating that barely hangs on. Not to mention, it’ll be super greasy.
- Wait for the oil temperature to come back to 350 degrees F before frying the next batch. Maintaining the oil’s temperature ensures each batch is nice and crispy.
- Use a skimmer to remove loose bits between batch-frying. This keeps the oil cleaner, and prevents debris from the previous batch from burning and latching onto new pieces.
Additional Salad Toppings
You are always free to use whatever you like for your own salad. However, the items I used offered an incredible complementary balance to the delicate calamari. Nothing overpowered it, or made it heavy. It was just a great balance of heat, savory, fatty, acidic, bitter, and a little sweet.
- Arugula
- Mixed greens
- Fresh parsley
- Scallions
- Avocado
- Grilled corn
- Cherry tomatoes
- Radishes
- Jalapenos
- Parmigiano reggiano
Salads are one of those completely adjustable meals, so please add as much or as little of any ingredient you want! Make it yours. This salad topped with fried calamari is just here to give you an idea. But trust me when I say, this salad is delicious AF and a repeat in my household. Enjoy.
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Summer Salad with Fried Calamari
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Description
A big ass summer salad filled to the brim with a huge bounty of greens, team-player veggies and topped with crispy tender fried calamari. The combination you need in your life!
Ingredients
Salad (ingredient amounts are up to you!)
- Mixed greens
- Arugula
- Fresh parsley
- Scallions
- Fresh corn, grilled
- Avocado
- Cherry tomatoes
- Radishes
- Jalapenos
- Parmigiano reggiano
Vinaigrette
- Juice from one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
- Zest from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or neutral tasting oil)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2–3 tablespoon honey
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Calamari brine (don’t worry, it’s quick)
- 1 cup whole milk (SEE NOTE)
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half the amount if using Morton’s)
- 1 pound calamari pieces, thawed
Dredge
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black or white pepper
Instructions
Before you begin..
- Line a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet pan size) with foil, then set a wire rack inside the baking sheet. If you have another baking sheet, like that with foil as well, and top with a few layers of paper towels to later drain the calamari. You can also use a large plate.
- Fill a dutch oven (or large pot of choice) with about 4 inches of a high-smoke point frying oil (such as canola or vegetable). You could also use a deep fryer. I don’t recommend shallow-frying because the squid need ample room to move around freely and crisp properly.
For the salad
- Make the vinaigrette! In a large measuring cup or 16oz mason jar, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, dijon mustard, vinegar, honey, oils, a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to thoroughly combine and give it a taste. Taste and adjust as needed. When you’re happy with it, cover and set aside.
- Prep/chop your remaining salad ingredients and keep them cold. Do this now so you can quickly build it while you wait for the oil to come to temperature later.
For the calamari
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and pepper in another medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- Pour milk into a medium-sized bowl, along with the Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Whisk to dissolve. This will serve as our brine. The salt will flavor the calamari and the milk will help tenderize it. The milk also provides just enough heft to help with the dredge so that it isn’t too thick.
- Rinse thawed calamari pieces under cold water in a fine strainer/colander, shaking off excess water. Add the calamari to the milk mixture, and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and brine in the fridge for just 20 minutes.
- Remove the calamari from the fridge. Use your hands to scoop and transfer the milky calamari to the flour mixture, allowing some of the liquid to drain a bit so you don’t get a huge clumpy dough ball – but still keeping some milk attached so you can actually dredge it. Immediately toss to coat, ensuring each piece is evenly coated. From there, use a spider to scoop the pieces up so the excess flour falls off and transfer the coated calamari pieces to the wire-rack lined baking sheet. Allow them to sit for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
- Build your salad while the oil is heating up! Get it ready for the calamari because it’s going to cook quickly. If you prefer to add your vinaigrette now, you can. But I recommend you wait until the calamari is done. It’s completely your call.
- When the oil is at temp, add half of the coated calamari to the oil. Make sure you do this carefully so you don’t splash yourself with hot oil. This salad is too delicious to be disturbed by an ER visit. Fry the calamari for THREE minutes. Use the spider to transfer the calamari to the paper-towel lined baking sheet or plate. Make sure the oil returns to 350 degrees F before frying the last batch. Fry for 3 minutes then drain on the paper towels. Immediately season the calamari with a few squirts of fresh lemon and place your desired amount on top of your salad. If you haven’t already, dress your salad with the vinaigrette and enjoy right away.
Notes
You can use buttermilk in place of milk, but use 2/3 cup of it plus 1/3 cup of water to thin it out.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: vegetables, seafood
Keywords: fried calamari, seafood, big ass salad, salads, summer salads
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