Butter garlic pan-fried squid is a popular beach food in Goa. We love to prepare them at home whenever we get a bunch of fresh calamari.
This recipe is great because it's simple, and you can serve the calamari the way it suits you.
TL;DR
Beach restaurants in Goa are renowned for their fresh seafood, and all our family and friends from Europe travel all the way to experience these seafood specialties.
Food in Goa can be spicy, just like any other Indian dish, but most are not, as they are served with butter and garlic. All that thanks to the former Portuguese colonial influence and the influx of foreign, and specifically British Tourists.
This calamari dish can be prepared with fresh, clean calamari tubes, or you can get a frozen bag of calamari rings from your grocery store. Either way is acceptable. I, personally, prefer the fresh version, but I know that fresh seafood is a luxury.
The cooked squid can be served as a main course with rice or other dishes, in a salad etc. I'm sharing some ideas further below.
Ingredient Notes
- Calamari — aka squid. Use either fresh calamari tubes or sliced rings. Frozen calamari needs to be thawed before you can fry it.
- Garlic — chop your fresh garlic.
- Butter — unsalted or salted butter. If you use salted, skip adding additional salt.
- Salt
- Black Pepper — Freshly ground for the best effect.
Process Overview
Step 1
Chop the garlic.
Slice the calamari tubes if they are not cut in slices yet.
Step 2
Heat up the skillet with the butter and drop in the chopped garlic. Briefly pan-fry on a medium heat.
Pat dry your squid rings to soak up excess water. Stir the squid rings into the pan with the garlic.
Step 3
Season with salt and black pepper and stir-cook while controlling the heat.
Squid rings cook fast, you'll be done after 5-8 minutes. Take the rings from the heat and enjoy.
Tip: Avoid overcooking the calamari rings. The longer you cook them, the chewier and tougher they get.
📖 Recipe
Butter Garlic Pan-Fried Calamari Rings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic fresh, chopped
- 4 Ounces Calamari aka Squid, *See Notes
- 3-4 Tablespoon Butter
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt skip if you use salted butter
- ⅛ Teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Peel the fresh garlic and chop the cloves small.1 Tablespoon Garlic
- If you are working with calamari tubes instead of ready cut rings, you'll have to slice the tubes into rings first. To do that, place a clean tube on your cutting board and simply slice them into rings. Make sure the rings are about the same size.4 Ounces Calamari
- Pat dry your raw squid rings with a paper towel so that they don't splash in the butter when you are frying them.
- Heat your skillet and melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and keep on a medium-low heat setting. Cook the garlic briefly, as they brown fast, which will turn them bitter.3-4 Tablespoon Butter
- Stir in the squid rings, keep on the same heat setting.
- Season with salt and black pepper.¼ Teaspoon Salt, ⅛ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- Stir cook on medium heat until they are cooked through, don't cook on high heat! They should be tender but not raw. The cooking process from melting the butter to frying the squid, takes no more than 8 minutes. Be careful to not overcook your calamari, or else they will turn chewy.
- Serve up hot with some lemon.
Notes
Equipment
- 8" Chef Knife to chop the garlic and eventuelly calamari
- Kitchen Paper Towel
- Stainless Steal Non-Stick PFOA-free Frying Pan to pat dry raw calamari rings before frying.
Nutrition
Serving
Pan-fried calamari rings are great with freshly squeezed lemon!
Butter garlic rings in Goa are served as a stand-alone dish. We order them at the beach to snack on with a cold beer.
Nonetheless, we have also had them as an additional lunch main course dish with our beach food order. That means other pan-fried sea fish or shrimp with cooked rice and optionally a curry.
You on the other hand, have the option to use them the way you see fit. Here are some ideas:
- Salad — Add the squid rings to a simple green lettuce salad, a crab seafood salad or a chopped salad.
- Tacos, Wraps or Lettuce Wrap — They add so much flavor.
- With a pasta shape of your choice — Just cook the pasta and add these butter garlic squids.
- With lemon rice, parsley pan-fried potatoes, or potato wedges as a side.
- Serve with an instant mayonnaise garlic aioli as a light lunch.
- With a French ratatouille stew
- As a side with stir-fried greens and vegetables such as stir-fried bok choy, stir-fried vegetables, or stir-fried zucchini.
- Tucked into a sandwich or panini with lettuce.
Storing
Try to use them up the same day if possible. If you have leftovers, keep them in a glass container in your fridge, but eat them the next day.
They can be slightly reheated in a pan or oven, or you can have your butter garlic cooked calamari rings cold too.
Avoid reheating your squid rings in the microwave, because they will turn out rubbery and chewy. Microwave cooks unevenly, and calamari rings cook fast.
Comments
No Comments