Crispy Fried Calamari
Updated: 2 days ago
By Chef Jon Ashton | Published August 18, 2025
Why you'll love it: feather-light crunch · tender inside · fast in the fryer · made for sharing.
Tested in my kitchen · As seen on TODAY and The Tonight Show · Parade magazine's chef for 10 years · About Chef Jon →
Crispy Fried Calamari
Serves 4
Time: About 1 hour
Level: Medium
Equipment: Dutch Oven, and Instant Read Thermometer. Also useful: Rimmed Baking Sheet and Cooling Rack.
Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound squid (bodies sliced into ¾-inch rings; tentacles trimmed to match length)
2 quarts vegetable or canola oil (for frying)
Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
Set up and warm the oven: Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Line a second sheet with a triple layer of paper towels and set another rack atop it. Preheat the oven to 200°F (about 95°C), just warm enough to keep things crisp without spoiling their spirit.
Make the milk and flour mixes: In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and salt until well combined. In a second bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and a generous grind of black pepper.
Soak and coat the squid: Drop the squid into the milk mixture and give it a gentle toss, just enough to coat each piece like a fine silk robe. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes; the milk gently tenderises the squid. Lift out half the squid, letting the excess liquid drip away, no need to rush, and tumble it into the flour mixture. Use your hands to coat each ring and tentacle delicately, as though dressing a child for winter. You'll know it's right when every ring and tentacle has a thin, even coat of flour, with no bare patches or clumps.
Rest the squid: Shake off the excess flour with a flick of the wrist and lay the coated squid in a single layer on the unlined wire rack. Repeat with the remaining squid. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes. This pause, quiet and essential, helps the coating cling like it means it. You'll know it's right when the coating looks dry and set after its 10 minutes on the rack.
Fry in batches: As the squid rests, pour oil into a Dutch oven and set it over high heat. Bring it to a shimmering 350°F (175°C). Working in batches, gently slip in half the squid. It should sizzle softly, not spit. Fry for exactly three minutes. No more. The squid should emerge golden, crisp, and whisper-light. You'll know it's right when the squid is golden and crisp after three minutes and the oil sizzles softly rather than spitting. If the squid comes out pale and greasy, the oil has cooled. Let it climb back to 350°F before the second batch goes in.
Drain and keep warm: Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer and let them drain on the paper towel–lined rack. Keep them warm in the oven while you repeat with the second batch.
Serve: When all is done, pile the calamari onto a warm platter. Add lemon wedges, not for decoration, but because their brightness makes everything sing. Serve immediately, preferably with chilled wine, bare fingers, and good company.
How to Store
Best fresh: Fried calamari is at its very best hot from the oil, so serve it straight away.
Fridge: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. The coating will soften, so re-crisp them briefly in a hot oven.
Make ahead: Slice the squid ahead and keep it chilled, then soak and coat it just before frying.
Key Ingredients
Squid: Bodies sliced into ¾-inch rings with tentacles trimmed to match, so every piece cooks evenly and stays tender inside.
Whole Milk: A 30-minute soak in salted milk gently tenderises the squid and helps the coating cling.
All-Purpose Flour: It makes a whisper-thin coating that fries up shatteringly crisp, never thick or doughy.
Baking Powder: Just a tablespoon in the flour gives the coating a feather-light lift and extra crunch.
Black Pepper and Salt: A generous grind of pepper in the flour and salt in the milk season the squid right through.
Vegetable or Canola Oil: A neutral oil that's happy at high heat, so the squid fries clean, golden and crisp.
Lemon Wedges: Not for decoration: their brightness brings the whole dish into focus.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping the milk soak: the squid can turn chewy and the coating won't cling as well, so give it the full 30 minutes in the fridge.
Using a heavy coating: thick batter or breadcrumbs smother the squid, so keep it to a thin, even dusting of flour and shake off the excess.
Not resting the coated squid: the coating can fall away in the oil, so let it sit on the rack for 10 minutes until it looks dry and set.
Frying in oil that's too cool: the squid comes out pale and greasy, so wait for the oil to come back to 350°F (175°C) before each batch.
Overcrowding or overcooking: too much at once cools the oil and too long turns the squid rubbery, so fry in two batches for three minutes each.
Letting it sit around: the crunch fades as it cools, so keep the first batch warm in the low oven and serve everything straight away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you soak calamari in milk?
A 30-minute soak gently tenderises the squid and helps the flour coating cling, so you get a tender inside and a crisp outside.
What temperature should the oil be for fried calamari?
350°F (175°C). The squid should sizzle softly when it goes in, not spit. If the oil cools, let it climb back up before the next batch.
How long do I fry calamari?
Three minutes per batch, until golden and crisp. Any longer and the squid starts to turn rubbery.
Why is my calamari rubbery?
It's almost always overcooked. Fry hot and fast, pull it out as soon as it's golden and crisp, and it will stay tender.
Why did my calamari turn out greasy?
The oil wasn't hot enough. Fry in batches so the oil stays at temperature, and let it come back to 350°F before each batch.
Should I use breadcrumbs?
No. A light dusting of flour with a little baking powder gives a delicate crunch, while breadcrumbs are far too heavy for calamari.
What oil is best for frying calamari?
A neutral oil that copes well with high heat, such as vegetable or canola oil.
What should I serve with fried calamari?
Lemon wedges are essential. Garlic aioli, chilli jam or marinara sauce all make lovely dips, with a chilled dry white wine or crisp lager alongside.
My Best Tips for Perfectly Crispy Calamari at Home
1. Soak Your Squid in Milk (Yes, Really)
This sounds like a prank from a fisherman with a mischievous streak, but it's the real deal. A 30-minute soak in milk or buttermilk works wonders. It tenderizes the squid, softens the edges, and makes it as docile as a Sunday nap.
It also helps the coating cling in the most satisfying way. Think cardigan on a breezy day, not a straitjacket.
2. Keep the Coating Light as a Summer Shirt
Forget batters that resemble mortar. What you want is a whisper-thin dusting, plain flour with a pinch of baking powder to give your crunch a bit of lift. Season it boldly. Salt, pepper, perhaps a flicker of cayenne, and if you're cheeky, a touch of lemon zest.
If you see breadcrumbs, run. Breadcrumbs are for schnitzel, darling. Not for calamari.
3. Fry Hot, Fry Fast
350°F (175°C) is your golden ticket. No more. No less. The calamari should sizzle the moment it hits the oil, then do a delicate little curl like it's stretching its limbs after a long nap. Three minutes, no more. Any longer and you'll be chewing on a squid-scented bicycle tyre.
Use oil that doesn't complain at high temperatures. Peanut or vegetable oil are stoic companions. Olive oil is welcome too, but only if it knows how to behave.
4. Season the Moment It Hits the Paper
Don't dawdle. The second those golden curls come out, hit them with flaky sea salt. It sticks better when the squid's still piping hot and slightly oil-slicked. Maybe a grind of black pepper. Maybe a sigh of paprika. Perhaps nothing at all. Sometimes restraint is the boldest seasoning.
What to Serve With Fried Calamari (Besides a Second Plate)
There's something deeply right about a wedge of lemon and nothing else, a simple squeeze that brightens everything like a good punchline. But if you insist on accompaniments:
Garlic aioli: creamy, rich, unapologetic.
Chili jam: for those who like a little chaos.
Marinara sauce: if you're feeling classically inclined.
As for drinks, I'd take a dry white wine, sprightly and chilled. A crisp lager also does the job with minimal fuss. And if it's a picnic? A flask of icy negroni and someone to flirt with.
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Crispy calamari: golden, feather-light, and wickedly tender inside. Each bite crackles with seaside seduction, finished with a squeeze of lemon and a hint of salt-kissed air.
There is a moment, just before the squid hits the oil, when the kitchen still feels calm. It's the hush before the crunch, the anticipation of something small and golden and hot enough to make your fingers dance.
You begin with squid, fresh if you can, its soft pale flesh a quiet thing, willing and gentle. The bodies are sliced into stout rings, the tentacles trimmed like ribbon curls. Into a bowl of milk they go, salted modestly, where they linger for just a spell. You're not marinating as much as preparing them for their next act, bathed, not drowned.
In another bowl, a soft mound of flour waits, laced with the merest lift of baking powder and the whisper of ground pepper. The squid, dappled from its milky bath, is eased into the flour mixture with care. No need to rush this part, toss them gently, as if you were folding a bedsheet on a breezy day. Shake off the excess and let them rest for ten minutes on a wire rack, like sleepy sunbathers.
Now, the oil. You want it shimmering, hot enough to cook but not so wild it bites. A deep pan, a steady hand, and patience, until it reaches that magic number: 350°F. In go the squid, in halves, no more than a few at a time. They puff, they crisp, they bronze in about three minutes. It is a transformation both dramatic and soothing.
Lift them gently: slotted spoon, spider skimmer, whatever feels kind. Onto paper towels, into a low oven, they go. A few minutes more and the second batch is ready. The scent is toasted and sea-sweet. There is nothing like it.
Serve them simply. A scatter of lemon wedges, perhaps a little mayonnaise stirred with garlic or your favorite Marinara sauce, whatever the mood strikes. Eat them hot. Fingers are permitted, encouraged, even. The crunch is delicate. The squid inside is tender. And the lemon? Essential. It brings the whole dish into focus like the sun streaming through a kitchen window.
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