Crunchy Calamari With Ancho Chile Glaze

Recipe from Matador Room

Adapted by Florence Fabricant

Crunchy Calamari With Ancho Chile Glaze
Rikki Snyder for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(101)
Comments
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My introduction to manzanilla decades ago was alongside a plate of fried prawns at El Faro in Cádiz, near Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in southern Spain. Nothing could provide a better partner for the sweet, briny shrimp than the pale, intensely floral, somewhat saline wine. Yet after our tasting of deliciously intense manzanillas, I was determined to show how well the wine could pair alongside food that was not Spanish: with dim sum, for example, or fried Ipswich clams. That was until I tasted Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s crunchy calamari at the Matador Room, his restaurant in Miami Beach. Delicately crisp, impossibly tender and fueled with a piquant glaze, they were perfection with a glass of manzanilla. Back at home with his recipe, plenty of oil, the hottest possible temperature and a messy stove got me close. —Florence Fabricant

Featured in: A Hands-Off Approach to Manzanilla Sherry

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ⅓cup sugar
  • 1teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1teaspoon crushed ancho chile
  • ¼teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 2cups dry red wine
  • 1tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • Salt
  • 1pound cleaned calamari, the smaller the better
  • 1cup flour
  • 12ounces club soda
  • Vegetable oil for deep-frying
  • 1lime, zested, then cut into wedges
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

921 calories; 61 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 43 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 988 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Moisten sugar with 1 tablespoon water in a shallow saucepan. Cook on medium-high until sugar caramelizes to light amber. Add garlic and cook until it starts to color. Add ancho and chipotle, cook 30 seconds, then stir in wine, taking care because it may sputter. Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel dissolves in the wine and the mixture reduces to ½ cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, season with vinegar and salt and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Slice calamari into thin rings. Toss with ½ cup flour, place in a large strainer and shake off excess flour. Season with salt. Pour club soda into a large bowl. Whisk in remaining flour.

  3. Step 3

    Heat about 2 cups oil to very hot, about 400 degrees, in a deep-fryer, sauté pan or wok. Place floured calamari in the batter. Using tongs, transfer about ¼ of it to the oil and fry until golden. Stand back because the calamari may spatter furiously. Remove to several layers of paper towels. Repeat with remaining calamari.

  4. Step 4

    Pile calamari on a platter, dust with lime zest and serve with lime wedges and ancho glaze.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
101 user ratings
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Comments

Lorna

sugar wine mixture is the dip, the flour/club soda is the batter. Took reading about 10 times to figure it out

ed

Yes, the batter was runny and didn't adhere very well to the calamari, BUT this was still delicious. Some batter stayed with the calamari and the batter that fell off into the oil turned into crispy bread-crumb-like things that were great mixed in with the calamari. (Make sure your oil is up to 400F for every batch.) The lime brightens it all up and the wine dipping sauce was a new (for me) and excellent addition. Still, I'd like to try making this again with a bit thicker batter.

Rozen

Don’t make this. The batter with so much club soda didn’t stick to the calamari at all. It became a soup of oil and slimy calamari that I had to throw out entirely.

Amy

I would add a bit less wine, but loved the recipe!

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Credits

Adapted from Matador Room, Miami Beach

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