How to Cook Calamari – Australian Style
What was my very favorite thing I ate when I was in Australia?
If I was pinned down to have to answer this, I would say it was the calamari!
I’d never had calamari any differently than the breaded and fried version, as you would get at Olive Garden here in America.
They don’t make it like this in Aussieland, unless you go to a fish & chips shop…No, No, No!
Otherwise, they’ll skin the squid and take out it’s inner “bone”. Then, you can either leave it whole or slice it, as they do to deep fry them. Don’t forget that you can also eat the tentacles! Yum!
However, instead of deep frying it, they throw it on the BBQ or the griddle part of the BBQ. (Most Aussies have a really impressive barbeque at home), lightly coated in a flavorless oil, such as canola.
It only takes 1-2 minutes to be done, as with calamari, you either cook it really quickly, or stew it for a very long time in order to keep it soft when you eat it.
Otherwise, it will get very rubbery. Although, being such a squid fan as I am, I don’t even mind the rubbery kind…I just love the flavor!
Sprinkle it with a bit of lemon and you’re in serious calamari heaven! No, really!
I could live on this stuff…and we did when I lived there – at least once a week.
* I’ll be posting a lot about Australian food next month in honor of Great Barrier Reef Month on my other blog, ExoticAnimalLover.com.
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I hope you enjoyed this Australian food post on Cooking With Kimberly! Until next time…
Eat Deliciously,
Kimberly Edwards 🙂
P.S. Order calamari/squid to your home with Gorton’s:
[tags]Australian food, calamari, squid, how to cook calamari, how to cook squid, what do I do with calamari[/tags]
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April 28, 2011
Calamari is great! I usually eat calamari, and it is very tastefull…
But it matters how you cook the calamari, and the most important thing is not using teflon pans.
We all know that teflon makes our pans easier to clean, as nothing sticks to them.
We might even consider this as an advantage, as we require no oil so that food doesn’t become stuck on the pans, and less oil means a healthier diet.
For all those that don’t know, teflon consists of carbon and fluorine molecules that bond so strongly, food can’t get a hold and just slips straight of a teflon coated pan.
But few of you may know of the risks involved using teflon coated pans.
Teflon contains a chemical called per-flouro-octanoid-acid also known as PFOA, which can cause cancer.
If you over heat teflon coated pans, to 260 degrees Celsius, you get the risk of releasing that chemical…and this is a risk not worth taking.
So although teflon coated pans are easier to use, they imply high risks on our health…so it is advised that they be used properly.
The alternative to these pans is using copper pans, as they conduct heat quickly.
April 30, 2011
Wow – Great information there, Alex! Thank you so much for sharing!
Kimberly 🙂