Fried calamari was one of my all-time favorite things to eat at a restaurant. Growing up, I had a close friend whose parents owned a restaurant, and whenever we would hang out upstairs in the “apartment” above the restaurant while her parents worked, they’d feed us. 9 times out of 10 I wanted the fried calamari (I think my other choice was baby back ribs…what can I say, I was a growing boy). Since changing up my diet and staying away from grains and legumes, I haven’t done much in the way of fried foods, so this dish left my life.

On a whim, having seen squid at the Whole Foods, I decided that it was time to give this a shot. The results were wonderfully tasty, albeit a bit of a process. It took me approximately 4 batches to get all the calamari fried, so it was about a half-hour. It’s totally worth it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Ingredients

3/4 lb squid (cleaned and sliced 1/4″ thick)

Juice from 1/2 a lemon, preferably meyer

2 eggs

1/2 C coconut flour

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp salt and pepper

1 C light olive oil, for frying

Method

Prepare the squid by rinsing and then slicing into 1/4″ thick rings.

Prepare a dredge of the coconut flour, cayenne, and salt and pepper.

Mix squid in a bowl with 2 eggs and lemon juice, and then dredge through the dry mixture. I found chop sticks really helpful.

Heat your oil in a skillet on medium, and place in rings for 3-4 minutes per side. Cover while frying with your splatter screen, and you might have to replenish the frying oil as you go through the batches.

After frying both sides, place on a paper towel to rest and absorb excess oil.

Plate with a side of marinara or eat alone–these things are awesome.

I hope you enjoy the recipe! Let us know if you give it a try. If you enjoyed our paleo calamari, subscribe to keep up with what we’re up to as well as follow us on Facebook and Twitter.