Before you begin..

1. 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.
2. 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

1. 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.
2. 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

1. Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and pepper in another medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
2. 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. 
3. 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. 
4. 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.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. 
6. 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.
7. 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.