Calamari with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Guiltless golden-brown, crispy air-fried calamari is healthy and flavorful. Taking only 10 minutes to cook and less than 25 minutes to prep, this dish makes a perfect snack or appetizer.

Prep: 25 min | Cook: 10 min | Yield: 4 appetizer servings

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

• 1 pound frozen calamari,* thawed, cleaned and thinly sliced into rings 1/4 inch wide, with the tentacles separately sliced into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (or a gluten-free alternative)
• 1 teaspoon paprika or Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Prepared creamy chipotle sauce, for dipping

Instructions

1. Pat dry the thawed calamari rings and tentacles with a paper towel. Place all the calamari into medium mixing bowl and toss with lemon juice, until well coated.
2. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray; return basket to air fryer and preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F.
3. In another medium mixing bowl, combine flour; paprika or Old Bay; salt and pepper; mix well.
4. In a third mixing bowl, whisk milk and egg until well combined.
5. Dredge calamari (individual rings and tentacles) first in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the flour mixture again, until well coated.
6. Place one layer of coated calamari in air fryer basket. (Do not overlap calamari. If extra pieces remain, cook calamari in batches.) Coat calamari with cooking spray.
7. Cook for 8 minutes, or until calamari is cooked through.
8. Serve immediately with bowl of chipotle sauce, for dipping.

Notes

You can also prep ahead and freeze to save time. The trick to this recipe is to double coat the calamari and cook it in batches so the air circulates in the fryer. So, put that Air Fryer to use. Trust us – you’ll be hooked on this Air Fryer Calamari with Creamy Chipotle Sauce.

Thaw calamari overnight in refrigerator. Or for a quick thaw, put frozen calamari in a large baggie, seal baggie well and place it under cool running water for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: National Fisheries Institute