Calamari Fritti with Ginger Chile Mayonnaise and Balsamic Cucumber Salad

This is a nice snack or light lunch!

   
     Balsamic Cucumber Salad Recipe: 

     Peel and seed 1/2 of a large cucumber.
     Slice the cucumber and place it in a small mixing bowl.

     Add 1 thin sliced green onion.  

     Add 1/2 of a minced garlic clove.

     Add 4 or 5 pitted black olives that are cut in half.

     Add sea salt and black pepper.

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.

     Toss the ingredients together.

     Set the sesame cucumber salad aside. 

    
     Ginger Chile Mayonnaise Recipe: 

     Place 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise into a small bowl.

     Add 1 teaspoon of minced ginger.

     Add 2 teaspoons of Korean Red Serrano Chile Pepper Sauce.

     Add sea salt and white pepper.

     Stir the ingredients together.

     Place the ginger chile mayonnaise dipping sauce into a small ramekin and set it aside.

    
     Calamari Fritti Recipe: 

     If the squid that you use does not have much of its own juices, then you can dip the squid in milk so the flour will cling to it when the squid dredged in the flour.  Frying with fresh oil gives the calamari a crispy white coating.  If you over cook squid, then it will be like eating tough chewy rubber.  Flash frying for just a minute or so, keeps the squid tender.
     Cut 6 to 8 ounces of small whole cleaned squid into thin slices.  (Leave the small tentacle sections whole, but remove the beaks.)    

     Heat 4" to 5" vegetable frying oil in a high sided sauce pot to 360 degrees.  

     Dredge the sliced squid in flour that is seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. 

     Fry the squid in the 360 degree oil, till the flour coating becomes crisp.
     Note:  It only takes 20-30 seconds to cook fried squid, so be ready to remove the squid from the fryer right from the start.  Fresh frying oil will give the fried squid a "white" color instead of the usual tan color that you see in restaurants that fry with old dirty oil. 

     Use a fryer net to remove the squid from the hot frying oil.
     Place the calamari on a dry towel to drain off the excess oil.

   
     Calamari Fritti with Ginger Chile Mayonnaise and Balsamic Cucumber Salad:
     Place the calamari fritti on a plate.

     Set the ginger chile dipping sauce next to the squid on the plate.

     Place the cucumber salad next to the squid.

     I served a simple balsamic cucumber salad with this calamari appetizer, because it adds a refreshing flavor to the plate.  The ginger chili mayonnaise is a nice change for those who get tired of seeing the tired old pre-made bottled chipotle mayonnaise dips that are so commonly served with fried calamari in second rate restaurants.  Even if you use store bought mayonnaise instead of making the mayonnaise, the home made sauce will have a better flavor.  Yum!  ...  Shawna