I owe you all an apology. I’ve been sitting on this amazing recipe for quite some time without sharing it with you and that’s just rude. I’ll try not to let it happen again!
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One of the great ironies in my life is that I love seafood, yet I seldom cook with it. And I have no idea why. Fish, shellfish, and other water dwelling critters are actually pretty easy to prepare so I honestly don’t have any excuses.
Not only that, but seafood is rather versatile in terms of other ingredients you can match them with to make all sorts of delicious combinations. Oh yeah, and healthy, too. So don’t be like me. Make this more often!!
In this dish, meaty calamari steaks are tenderized, dredged in seasoned flour, fried quickly in golden olive oil, then topped with a chunky marinara sauce. The calamari comes out tender and full of flavor, and the sauce is the perfect marriage of traditional Italian and Greek flavors. Every bite is like a burst of summer while on a Mediterranean island cruise. All this, and it’s easy enough to make for a typical weeknight dinner!
Some quick notes before you begin:
Calamari steaks are often thick, which is fine for some recipes, but not for this. The thicker they are, the longer it will take to cook them and the tougher they can be. I started with steaks that were about 1/2 inch in thickness and tested the recipe first without tenderizing them. It wasn’t bad, but it was far better when I pounded them thin first. Aim for 1/4 inch thickness. If your steaks are already this thin, there is no need to pound them any flatter.
The weight of the steaks I had were approximately 4 to 6 ounces each. One steak per person was a very generous meal, especially when combined with the sauce.
When you are tenderizing the calamari, you will want to place them between sheets of plastic wrap or in a gallon sized zip-top bag. I preferred the bag as it was easier to get the flattened steaks out, and I could reuse it very easily. Just be sure to press out the air before closing the bag and pounding. This will help keep the calamari from sticking to any surfaces and will eliminate splattering. Trust me on this one. Also, be sure to use the flat side of a meat tenderizing mallet.
Don’t worry about drying the squid before dredging in the flour. The moisture will help the flour to stick to the flesh. When you put the steaks into the flour, keep coating it until the surface of the flour is dry.
You’ll want to make sure your oil is hot enough to quickly start cooking the steaks. You should see it “shimmering”, but be careful not to get it so hot that it begins to smoke. Be very careful when you put the steaks in the oil to avoid any splashing!! It will be hot. A splatter screen may also be used to help keep the mess down.
Don’t crowd the pan you use to cook the calamari in. Depending on the size of the pan, you may only be able to prepare one steak at a time. No worries, though, as they will only be in the pan for a minute or two each!
The best sequence for preparing this recipe is to put together the ingredients for the sauce first and set it aside. Then prepare the calamari and place them in a preheated oven set to 200F to stay warm. Immediately begin cooking the sauce after that. This way the calamari is not waiting too long in the oven before being eaten.
When cooking the sauce, choose a wide bottomed pan rather than a pot. This will allow the liquid to cook down far more quickly so you can serve your dish sooner and avoid keeping the calamari waiting too long.
This dish is very similar to chicken parmigiana, so a hefty sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top when serving this dish is highly encouraged!
Fried Calamari Steaks with Chunky Marinara and Kalamata Olive Sauce
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Ingredients
For the marinara sauce:
- 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup white wine (I like a cheap Chablis)
- 1 Tbsp. capers
- 1 Tbsp. brine from the capers
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano (Greek oregano preferred)
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
- whole Kalamata olives, amount as desired
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (Greek preferred)
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (optional)
For the calamari steaks:
- 4 calamari steaks (approximately 4 to 6 ounces each)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano (Greek preferred)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (optional)
- extra virgin olive oil for frying (Greek preferred)
Directions
Combine all the ingredients for the marinara sauce in a bowl. Cover and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200F.
Mix the dry ingredients for the calamari steaks (flour through salt & pepper) in a small bowl then sprinkle it evenly over a flat surface like a large plate and set aside.
If your calamari steaks are thicker than 1/4 inch, place each one in between two layers of plastic wrap or in a sealed gallon zip-top bag (my preference) and lay on a flat surface. Pound the steaks until they are 1/4 inch thick. Use the flat side of a meat tenderizing mallet. Trust me when I say this was actually a great stress reliever! Set each steak aside until they are all done.
Take each steak one at a time and dredge in the flour. You want to coat each side as much as possible with the flour mixture. The flour mixture should look dry on the surface.
Add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a pan. Heat on high until the oil is shimmering, then drop the heat to medium. Add the calamari steaks to the oil carefully. Only put in as many as your pan can hold without being crowded.
Fry each steak for 30 seconds per side, then repeat. This means each side will be cooked for 1 minute combined. The flour should be a light golden brown. Add more oil as needed and heat up again before adding more calamari. Place the steaks on an oven proof tray or dish and place in the oven to keep warm.
Add the tomato mixture to the pan. Be careful as it may splatter in the hot oil. Cook the sauce down until it is very thick. Stirring frequently will help to speed up the evaporation of the liquid.
Remove the steaks from the oven and top with the hot marinara sauce. Top with a generous helping of Parmesan cheese, as desired. Enjoy!
Mostly Greek 