Calamari Fritto con Basilico
by Dawn T in Rouxbe RecipesThis light and crispy calamari is marinated with basil, garlic and a hint of chipotle pepper.
| Comments: 20 | Views: 12825 | Success: 97% |
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This light and crispy calamari is marinated with basil, garlic and a hint of chipotle pepper.
| Comments: 20 | Views: 12825 | Success: 97% |
This looks delicious and I'm dying to make it, yet I've searched everywhere for Chipotle pepper puree but have been unsuccessful in finding it.
I'm not a resident of the US so finding some ingredients is difficult. What can i use as a substite assuming I can't find Asian chilli pasted either which Steve D mentioned as a substitute in his post?
If you cannot find chipotle peppers where you live, you could order them online. If you buy the ones in a can, they will last you for a very long time.
You can watch the drilldown called "What are Chipotle Peppers?", to see how to store freeze them.
As for substitutions, you could try a jalapeño for heat and a bit of smoked paprika for that smoky flavor.
Depending on the size of the shrimp (see How to Buy Fresh Prawns), yes... you will need more time. Calamari cook very quickly. When people ask me how long things will take, I usually just say "until they are done", meaning... check them. Just take one out of the fat, cut it open and it should be cooked through. Good luck. Let us know who it goes. D
Seafood is highly perishable and does not have a long shelf life. You may not be able to smell that it has gone off because it is in a batter. Your safest bet is to discard it. Fish and shellfish should be purchased and consumed the same day or, if stored properly, a couple of days after that (max). No need to risk getting sick.
I did, however, find ground chipotle pepper at whole foods (surprisingly they didn't have anything closer to the puree). Since this was for the marinade, I tried to mix the dry pepper in. It didn't dissolve very well even though I only put in 1 tbsp. It was pretty spicy.
The overall dish was very good. I must add though, 1 lb. of squid is quite a bit and was way too much for even 4 of us even as an appetizer. Next time i'd probably use 1/2 lb. with the majority of bodies and not as much tentacles.
Make sure not to dump the squid in at once, but in small batches so it has a nice sizzle. Also, be sure you do not pile the squid up after it comes out of the fryer...and be sure to serve to drain it well after frying and then serve it immediately.
Squid is small and requires very little cooking to get tender so you could also even try raising the oil temp to 400 F to get a crispier crust while not over-cook the squid. Cheers!
I was going to suggest substituting cornstarch or rice flour (1:1), however, these are technically grains. You could try tapioca flour but we have not tested this ourselves. Keep in mind that making these substitutions will change the final result, so you'll need to do some experimenting to see what you like and can tolerate. Cheers!
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