I bet you've never had Salted Egg Calamari before. It's now my new favorite way to eat squid! Each bite is super crispy and coated in a salty, garlicky, and buttery seasoning.
I think the key to this recipe is getting the crust crispy. If it's not crispy, then the dish won't taste good. When I worked in restaurants, we used a very simple dredge made with cornstarch and flour.
I have tested a few iterations, and I think the best combination is cornstarch, tapioca starch, and all-purpose flour. The crust ends up super light and crispy.
The best part is that it can be used for a bunch of dishes, like deep-fried wings, or as a batter for deep-fried meats in Chinese-American dishes.
Key Ingredients
Squid/Calamari
I am using frozen whole calamari from my Asian grocery store. You need to clean them by removing the head, ink sac, and cartilage. I usually just use my fingers to rip these parts out.
The cartilage looks like a thin piece of plastic and it is located in the trunk (right above the head). Use your fingers to pull it out. Then, cut the trunk into rings and leave the tentacles whole.
Cornstarch, tapioca starch, and flour
This might seem like overkill but hear me out. This combination results in the most crispy crust that STAYS crispy. I have been deep-frying foods my whole life and this combination always comes out the best. You can buy tapioca starch from most Asian markets. It usually comes in a blue bag.
Salted Egg Yolks
For this recipe, you will only need the yolks. I found mine in the refrigerated section of my Asian grocery store. They were in small vacuum-sealed bags.
The yolks need to be steamed for 10 minutes or microwaved for 2 minutes before using. Then, mash them up with a fork or a food processor. I usually prefer a food processor because it gets them into smaller pieces.
Crispy Salted Egg Calamari
Ingredients
- 1 pound calamari (tubes cut into rings and tentacles left whole)
- ½ cup Chinese rice wine (or water)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 salted egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Put the salted egg yolks in a steaming dish and steam for 15 minutes or microwave for 2 minutes. Once they are soft, mash them into small pieces with a fork or use a food processor.
- Rinse the squid and combine it with ½ cup of rice wine (or water) in a bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, tapioca starch, and flour.
- Take a handful of squid out of the rice wine and put it directly in the bowl of starch. Use your hands to coat each piece of squid in the dry mixture. Transfer to a plate or baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squid.
- Heat 1 inch of oil to about 350°F. Fry the squid in 2 or 3 batches until they are golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
- In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the salted egg yolks and sugar and cook for another minute. Add the fried squid and toss to coat evenly. Enjoy!
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