By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com
Calamari with Tomato Sauce
I really enjoy cooking with calamari steaks. They are listed as a Power Food by Weight Watchers and with good reason. Calamari steaks are low in calories and have zero fat, and they contain many elements necessary in good, healthy food. Not only are they low in calories and fat, but they taste great as well and hold up in many recipes.
Calamari steaks come in 4 to 6 ounce portions, are flat, and about 3″ by 4″ in size. They can be grilled, pan fried, or even baked. If you have little squid in your mind, remove the vision, as the steaks are clean rectangles of food which can be easily cooked and eaten.
As a bonus, children (and some adults,) will not even know what it is when served. This should help you with finicky eaters. The following recipe is for calamari with a tomato sauce, that turned out very tasty for my family the other day.
Ingredients (Feeds Four people):
- 5 (4-6) oz Calamari steaks
- 2 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 24 oz Can San Mateo Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- 6 oz Shiitake Mushrooms
- 1 Small White Onion
- 12 Cloves Roasted Garlic (Found in Olive Bars of Grocery Stores)
- 1 Jar Roasted Red Bell Peppers in Water
- 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Red Pepper flakes to taste
- 1 Whole Lemon
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1 Package Fresh Basil (about 4 ounces, 20 leaves)
Prep Work
Thaw the calamari steaks if they are frozen. Dry them off completely once thawed. If they are wet they will not sear properly as you will spend more time evaporating water than cooking the protein.
Finely dice the onion. Drain the red bell peppers and dice. Blend the tomatoes until smooth (I use my VitaMix blender for this.) Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps into thin strips. Wash and slice the lemon in half.
The Sauce
Cooking the Sauce
Put your stove on high and place a large skillet on the burner. Once it is warm, add 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil to the pan. Butter, when mixed with oil, helps food to develop a nice brown caramelization. You can use butter or oil alone, but it will not look or taste as good.
Once the butter turns slightly brown, add the onion to the pan. Stir the onions to prevent scorching but let them sit long enough to develop brown spots. This should take about 5 minutes. Once they are browned, and translucent, add the vinegar to the pan. Be careful as the food will steam quite a bit and splatter bits of hot oil around.
Let the onions cook down for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Once they are caramelized, add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir. Cook the sauce until it starts to bubble and turn down the heat to medium (a simmer.) Add the mushrooms at this point, along with the sliced roasted bell peppers.
Add the sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Taste it to ensure the spice level is correct. Zest the lemon pieces over the sauce (this means to shred the lemon skin over the sauce with a zester).
Cook, stirring occassionaly, for about 20-30 minutes. You can start the calamari after about 10 minutes.
The Calamari
Heat your Electric Griddle to 350 degrees. Put the remaining butter and oil on the griddle and wait until the butter just starts to brown. This may take 30 seconds or so.
Calamari on the Griddle
Place the calamari steaks on the grill for 5 minutes OR until they are browned around the edges on the bottom. I say “or” here because the size of the steaks will alter how long they need to cook. Once browned, flip over and let grill for 3 minutes.
Keep the griddle on. Remove the steaks to a cutting board and dice. Each piece should be eaten in one bite once the steaks are cut. Once cut, put back on the griddle.
Squeeze the lemon over the calamari pieces and toss to incorporate. Continue tossing the calamari every 10 seconds for the next two minutes. Remove from the griddle and set aside in a large bowl.
Putting It Together
Chiffonade the Basil and incorporate half in with sauce. Remove the sauce from heat and put a cup of sauce (or more) on each plate. Top each mound of sauce with 1/4 of the calamari. Sprinkle the roasted garlic and basil over each mound of calamari. Serve and enjoy!
Plating The Sauce
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