Calamari Sandwich With a Smoky Yogurt Sauce

One of my favourite Greek appetizers has to be fried calamari. It’s the freshness of the sea, the tender squid tubes and tentacles dredged in flour and fried until golden. You get a slight crunch from the coating then the tender squid in your mouth explodes with flavour. Calamari (squid) are found at your local fish monger either fresh or frozen and both are perfectly fine to use here.

Cleaning a squid involves simply pulling the tentacles away from the tube, removing the clear plastic-looking spinal column from it then slicing the head and beak from the tentacles. A good rinse and they are ready to be cooked. If you’re really nice to your fish monger, he may clean them for you or…you may find pre-cleaned squid as well.

The flour coating for my fried calamari is a seasoned combo of all-purpose flour with corn meal and some corn starch. I’ve used this combo for years and it’s been consistent and friends and family all love it. The sauce here borrows a little from Tzatziki, a little from Remoulae sauce. Tzatziki is a great condiment for dipping fried calamari in and Remoulade sauce is used alongside fried fish and seafood from the kitchens of France.

My sauce is yogurt based (strained Greek yogurt) and there’s some mayo to help with the texture. The ratio in this recipe is one I prefer but you may tinker with it to suit your tastes. This dish came about when I was hungry, staring at a bag of frozen squid in my freezer and thinking how to make it a proper lunch (rather than just eat a platter of fried calamari). A fried calamari sandwich with this smoky yogurt sauce hit the spot.

Fried Calamari

(serves 4)

1 lb. of squid (thawed if frozen and cleaned)

1/3 cup corn flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. of corn starch

salt and pepper to taste

vegetable oil for frying (I use sunflower oil)

lemon wedges for garnish

Smoky Yogurt Sauce

1 cup strained Greek yogurt

1 small clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 level tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. of lemon zest

1 pickle, finely diced

2 Tbsp. finely chopped capers

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsely

2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives or scallions

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or fennel fronds)

salt and pepper to taste

a squeeze of lemon juice to taste

1. Thaw, clean & rinse your calamari. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, add your flour, corn flour, corn starch, salt, pepper and mix well. Have a quick taste of the flour mixture to assure yourself of proper seasoning.
3. Dredge your calamari in the flour mixture and shake off excess flour. Let stand while you make your sauce.
4. In the meantime, you can make the sauce by adding all the sauce ingredients (yogurt, mayo, garlic, smoked paprika, pickles, capers, parsley, dill, chives, zest) and mix well. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste, mix and reserve.
5. Pre-heat your oil for frying. You should fry your calamari in about three inches of oil (between 350 – 360F). Fry your calamari for 3-4 minutes per batch (1 lb. of calamari usually takes two batches). Transfer to a paper-lined plate and season with sea salt.
6. To assemble the sandwich, lightly toast some good bread, spread the sauce on both top and bottom slices, place some shredded lettuce on the bottom followed by a mound of fried calamari and some tomato slices.