Oven Fried Calamari

Not as greasy as deep-fried but all the flavor.

2 pounds squid, cleaned

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

4 large egg whites

2 cups finely ground white cornmeal

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the squid bodies into 1/4-inch rings, leaving the tentacles whole. Blot dry with paper towels. Season the squid with salt and pepper.

Place half the flour in a wide, shallow bowl and season with pepper. Place the egg and whites in another bowl and beat well with a fork. Combine the remaining flour with the cornmeal in a third shallow bowl with pepper and whisk to mix.

Oil two large baking sheets, either by using 2 tablespoons of oil or spraying with cooking spray. Dip the squid rings into the flour and toss with your hands. Lift them out onto a baking rack and shake the excess back into the bowl. Then drop them into the egg mixture. Lift them out with a fork onto the baking rack, and shake to drip off excess. Finally, dip into the cornmeal, again shaking off the excess, using the baking rack. Place the squid in a single layer on the baking sheets. Repeat with the tentacles. Drizzle the remaining oil on top.

Bake the squid until crisp and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, turning with a spatula to ensure even browning. Serve at once.

More oven fried recipes from NPR here.

While we are mentioning seafood lets add my favorite: Grilled Shrimp.
Pick a recipe with some marinating in hot spices and juice.