Simple Calamari Recipe with Garlic, Chilli, Olive Oil and Lemon for a Spanish Tapas Feast
Calamari is a Spanish food staple found everywhere from seafood paella to this tapas bar favourite. While calamari a la plancha normally features calamari cut into rings, we mix the recipe up by cutting it into one of our favourite Southeast Asian styles – 'pineapple cut calamari'.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time7 minutes mins
Total Time22 minutes mins
Course: Tapas
Cuisine: Spanish
Servings: 4
Calories: 279kcal
- 500 g calamari tubes fresh and cut into 'pineapple' shapes (see tips) and dried off
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic chopped thinly into small pieces
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes or more to taste
Garnish
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 8 lemon wedges
Heat both a frying pan and a griddle plate or grill.
Add olive oil to the frying pan and when shimmering carefully add the calamari. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes. Add the garlic. When the juices from the calamari have mixed with the olive oil and has reduced, remove the calamari and add to the hot griddle plate.
Leave the calamari in place until it states to smoke and then turn the pieces over until you have a good light char all around the pieces.
Remove and serve immediately with a little drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a lemon wedge.
Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 291mg | Sodium: 1221mg | Potassium: 369mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg