I love Calamari!

Five minutes away from my former residence, and across the 'Constitution Beach' in Boston, lies a simple but excellent place to eat. At 'Royal Roast Beef and Seafood', I expectantly order the fried calamari platter, served with your choice of fries or rice pilaf and coleslaw, which I am sure will tantalize my taste buds.

If you've read my other entries, you know that whenever I try something new, and I love it, I have to attempt to recreate it (or something similar). So... when I stumbled upon a really affordable bag of frozen calamari rings at the grocery store, the challenge was on!

My first attempt at friend calamari fell a little flat. The flour did not stick to the calamari, and although I was not 100% sure, I suspected that I had figured out what I had done wrong - the calamari needed to be patted dry before they were tossed in the flour.

A few weeks later, I embarked on my second attempt. This time, with a huge smile on my face, I had my 'eureka' moment. As a salute to 'Royal Roast Beef and Seafood', that evening, I enjoyed a scrumptious meal of fried calamari, herb roasted potatoes and sweet corn on the side.

Fried Calamari : Pat dry the defrosted calamari rings with a paper towel; Grab a bowl, and mix in some flour, salt and cayenne pepper; Heat up some cooking oil in a pan; Toss the calamari in the seasoned flour; Shake off the excess flour and dip individually in the heated oil - don't overcrowd; Cook on each side for about two minutes/until golden brown ; Drain on a paper towel.
Herb roasted potatoes : Wash medium sized red potatoes in a bowl; Cut up into bite sized pieces; Spray an oven safe dish with cooking oil; Place potatoes in the dish and season with Italian seasonings, black pepper and salt (use only about half of desired amount of seasonings); Mix properly and place in a 450degree Fahrenheit oven; Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes; Remove from oven, add the other half of seasonings and coat with cooking spray, then toss carefully; Place back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until cooked(starts to brown).

Serve the fried calamari with the potatoes and some heated up canned or frozen sweet corn or whatever vegetables you like. Enjoy!

* I served my meal on a paper plate to mirror the takeaway box I usually eat my fried calamari out of... lol!