Aussie Pub-Style Calamari

Serves 2

1–2 squid tubes, cut into rings (you want roughly 16–18 rings — I like to serve 8 per plate)
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
Salt, to season
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Cut the squid into rings, or use pre-cut calamari rings. Place into a bowl with the bicarbonate soda and toss to coat. Leave for 1 hour to tenderise.
Rinse the calamari well under cold water and pat completely dry with paper towel.
Prepare your crumbing station:
- In one bowl, combine the plain flour, cornflour and a generous pinch of salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.
- Add the panko breadcrumbs to a third bowl.
Coat the calamari in the flour mixture, then the egg wash, before finishing in the panko breadcrumbs.
Heat vegetable oil to 180°C. Fry the calamari in batches for around 1 minute, or until golden, crisp and cooked through.
For the mayo, add the egg, Dijon and vinegar to a jug or bowl. Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil while blending until thick and emulsified. Stir through the dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Serve the calamari with chips, salad, lemon wedges and plenty of dill and lemon mayo.

Crumbing your own calamari makes a huge difference — it stays crispier and has much better texture than store-bought versions.
Tenderising the calamari is important. Bicarbonate soda helps “velvet” the squid and keeps it tender once fried.
Using half cornflour and half plain flour keeps the coating lighter and crunchier.
Make sure your flour is properly seasoned with salt — that’s what gives pub calamari its flavour.
Don’t overcook the calamari. Around 1 minute is usually plenty. Overcooked squid quickly turns rubbery.
A salad dressing with a bit of acidity works perfectly here to cut through the richness of the chips and fried calamari. Find my recipe here.