Spicy Calamari Pasta

Linguine tossed with a quick and spicy tomato sauce and squid

This pasta is a weeknight winner to add the rotation of quick post-work dinners. It starts with a base of spicy tomato sauce, which the squid quickly simmers in before everything gets tossed with linguine. If you don't have much experience eating or cooking with squid, this is a great beginner recipe. The calamari has a similar texture to the al dente pasta and the spicy sauce tempers its flavor without overpowering it. To cook the squid, all you need to do is simmer it in the sauce for five minutes - just make sure not to overcook it or it will turn rubbery! This recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma's blog, which I've really been enjoying lately.

Note: You should be able to find squid that's already cleaned in the seafood section of good grocery stores. Buying cleaned squid will save you a ton of time and effort, and you can even ask your fishmonger to cut the bodies into rings for you.


More Calamari Recipes:
- Serrano-Lime Squid & Bok Choy Stir-Fry
- Linguine with Calamari, Shrimp, & Asparagus
- Grilled Japanese-Style Squid


Spicy Calamari Pasta:
Ingredients
- 1 lb. linguine pasta
- 1 lb. calamari, cleaned, bodies sliced into thin rings and tentacles left whole
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 c. bottled clam juice
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1/2 c. white wine
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 3/4 tsp. red chile flakes
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- handful of minced parsley
- kosher salt

Recipe

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add in the onion, garlic, oregano and red chile flakes.
• Cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes, or until softened but not brown.
• Add in the tomato paste and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the paste turns a slightly rusty color.
• Add the wine and let reduce for 2-3 minutes, then add the clam juice, lower to a simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt, and cook the pasta until al dente.
• During the last 5 minutes that the pasta cooks, add the calamari to the pan with the sauce and cook until opaque.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 c. pasta cooking liquid, and add the pasta to the sauce.
• Toss everything together, adding pasta water to moisten if needed.
• Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
• Divide onto plates and garnish with parsley.

Serves four-five

Grilled Japanese-Style Squid

If you only know calamari for fried rings and cocktail sauce, you'll be blown away by this Asian-style grilled squid

When my husband and I first started dating, we used to eat all the time at a local sushi spot by his house. It was an amazing find in the sea of L.A. sushi restaurants: fresh, inexpensive, and relatively under-the-radar. It's sadly closed now, but I will forever dream of their baby squid steak appetizer: a sizzling plate of squid tossed in a sweet and salty sauce and topped with a shower of scallions...and probably some other ingredients I'm forgetting. This recipe is my attempt at trying to make grilled Japanese squid at home, and I think it came out quite good even if I didn't nail the original recipe. The squid quickly marinates in a simple soy sauce, ginger, and mirin mixture (don't marinate for too long or it will overpower and change the texture of the squid) and then hits a hot grill to char and cook through. It's works as a quick, fun appetizer or pair with some rice and veggies for a cheap weeknight meal.


Related Recipes:
- Serrano Lime Squid with Bok Choy
- Sticky Asian Scallops
- Orange Peel Shrimp


Grilled Japanese-Style Squid:

• Preheat a grill to high.
• Combine 1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp. mirin, 1 tbsp. grated fresh gingerroot, 1 tsp. honey, and 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes in a bowl.
• Clean 3/4 lb. squid and separate the tubes from the tentacles, leaving tubes whole.*
• Add the squid to the marinade and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Take the squid out of the marinade and grill for 3-4 minutes, turning once.
• Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce by at least half.
• Cut the squid tubes into rings and place everything onto a serving plate.
• Drizzle the sauce over the top and sprinkle with 1-2 thinly sliced scallions.

Serves two (entree) - four (appetizer)

*Don't use pre-cut calamari rings or they will fall through the grill.

Spicy Bagna Cauda Squid

I've had this dish on my mind for about two years, ever since I tried something like it on my first trip to Animal. Animal is known for their meat-heavy cooking, but their grilled bagna cauda octopus was spicy, bright, perfectly cooked, and my favorite dish of the night. They've since removed it from their menu, so this is my attempt at recreating it at home. I used calamari instead of octopus because it's easier and faster to cook but it's really the perfect vessel to stand up to the spicy, flavor-packed bagna cauda (a tradition Italian dip that's full of garlic and anchovies). Make sure to serve some bread with the dish so you can sop up the rest of the delicious sauce.

Spicy Bagna Cauda Squid:

• Clean 1 lb. of calamari (bodies only) and slice into rings.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/3 c. olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
• Add in a whole head of minced garlic (about 15 cloves), 6-8 anchovies (backbone removed), and a few large pinches of red chili flakes.
• Cook until anchovies have melted and the garlic is tender, about 8 minutes.
• Add in the calamari, season with salt* and pepper, and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).
• Turn off the heat, then stir in the juice of half a lemon.
• To serve, divide into bowls and serve with more fresh lemon slices and toasted bread.

Serves two
*The anchovies will already add salt to the dish, so use sparingly.

Serrano-Lime Squid & Bok Choy

This spicy squid and vegetable stir fry cooks in minutes for a quick weeknight meal

I recently discovered Food52 and instantly fell in love with their site. They hold weekly recipe contests and that's where I discovered this recipe for Asian-style calamari stir-fry. Although the entry came in second place for the contest, it was definitely a winner in my house. The sauce has a heavy spiciness from the serrano pepper but is cut with the salty sweetness of the other ingredients. Bok choy rounds out the stir-fry and makes this a one-wok meal that cooks in just a few minutes and is super inexpensive to make. It's a complex and unique dinner to make for your friends and family.


More Food52 Favorite Recipes:
- Peach Tart
- Chinese Style Ribs
- Chicken Piccata



Serrano-Lime Squid & Bok Choy:

• Clean 1 lb. squid, separating bodies and tentacles, and slice bodies into rings.*
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. canola oil in a large skillet** until very hot.
• Add 3 heads of sliced bok choy and stir-fry until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
• Remove bok choy from the pan and add 1 more tbsp. canola oil.
• Stir in 1 tbsp. grated ginger, 1 tbsp. minced garlic, 1 minced serrano pepper, and squid.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes, making sure garlic doesn't burn.
• Add bok choy back to the pan, along with a mixture of 2 tbsp. lime juice, 2 tbsp. fish sauce***, and 2 tsp. brown sugar.
• Stir in 1 c. (loosely-packed) fresh basil leaves and cook until wilted.
• Serve over rice.

Serves two - three
*Or have your fish monger do this for you.
**Or use a wok.
***Available in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. 

Grilled Squid Salad

I love calamari, but it's almost always served deep-fried with cocktail sauce (which is delicious, don't get me wrong). Instead of the usual fried fare, I created a lighter version by grilling it in lemon juice and olive oil and serving it over a fresh arugula salad. It's the perfect meal for the warm spring and summer months ahead.

Grilled Calamari & Arugula Salad:

• Butterfly 3/4 lb. of calamari tubes (no tentacles), so that the tubes are opened into one flat sheet.*
• Using a pairing knife, create a criss-cross pattern on each piece of calamari.**
• Toss calamari with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. lemon juice, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
• Place calamari on a hot grill or grill pan and cook for 1 minute each side.***
• Remove calamari from the grill, cut into bite size pieces, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, soak 1/2 yellow onion in 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and salt. Let sit 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix together 1 c. halved grape tomatoes, 1 package of washed arugula, and balsamic-marinated onions.
• Toss salad with 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
• To serve, divide salad onto plates and top with grilled calamari.

Serves two for dinner
Serves four for starters
*I used kitchen scissors to cut open the tubes.
**Only score the surface, do not cut all the way through.
***Calamari will puff up and curl around itself.

Spaghetti with Calamari & Shrimp

A one bowl meal of pasta, seafood, and vegetables

I've loved food all my life, but I still had picky eating habits growing up. I refused to eat tomato sauce on my pasta for years (I'd make an exception for ravioli), so I developed a great recipe for white wine and garlic sauce. Nowadays I'll eat almost anything, but this sauce is still one of my all-time favorites. I made it last night with asparagus and calamari, but I have a scallop version that's to die for. Bonus: leftover white wine from the sauce goes great with the pasta.



Linguine with Calamari & Shrimp:

• Boil a large pot of water and cook 1/2 lb. pasta according to the package directions.
• Meanwhile, peel and de-vein 1/2 lb. shrimp and slice 1/2 lb. calamari (bodies only) into rings.*
• Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large saute pan. Add 1 tbsp. minced garlic and two pinches of red chili flakes.
• Saute for 1-2 minutes; be careful to not burn the garlic.
• Add 3/4 cup white wine and the juice of 1 lemon to the pan. Reduce sauce for 5-8 minutes.
• Add 1 bunch of chopped asparagus and cook for 3-5 minutes until almost tender.
• Add seafood and cook another 4-6 minutes, or until opaque.
• Turn off the heat and add cooked linguine. Toss with 1 tbsp. butter and 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Divide onto plates and garnish with toasted breadcrumbs and minced parsley.

Serves two - three

*Or ask your fish monger to do this for you.