Salt & pepper calamari with lime aioli
A freshly fried tender piece of calamari with a thin crispy coating is one of the most popular summer indulgences. With an added dollop of garlic-infused lime mayonnaise, this is a match made in heaven for the bright and crisp Groendruif semillon.
Ingredients
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 teaspoon salt flakes (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
500 g baby calamari tubes & tentacles, cleaned & rinsed canola oil, for frying
lime wedges, for serving
FOR THE LIME AIOLI
2 egg yolks
30 ml (2 tablespoons) lime juice (or 50/50% lemon and lime juice)
10 ml (2 teaspoons) Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely grated
a pinch of salt
about 125 ml canola oil
Method
Make the aioli first: place the yolks, lime juice, mustard, garlic and salt in a tall cup. Using a stick blender, blend well. With the motor of the blender running, add the oil in a thin stream, continuing to blend until you have a thick, pale mayonnaise. Cover and set aside (or refrigerate if made ahead).
For the calamari: Place the self raising flour, corn flour, salt & pepper in a wide bowl and stir to mix. Slice the calamari tubes into rounds of about 1cm thickness, then toss the rings and the tentacles in the seasoned flour (do it in 3-4 batches) until it is well coated.
Heat the oil (about 4 cm deep) in a medium pot over medium- high heat. When the oil is hot enough (test a piece of calamari in the oil to see if it sizzles) but not smoking, carefully add the coated calamari in batches and fry until golden (about 3-4 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot, sprinkled with more salt & pepper, with the aioli and lime wedges.crusty bread to mop up the fragrant sauce.
