Stuffed calamari is a seafood dish made by filling hollow calamari with a mixture of sausage, shrimp, crabmeat, breadcrumbs, and vegetables. It is typically fried and served with pasta and tomato sauce or a white wine sauce. The calamari tubes are often available frozen and should not be overfilled. Popular ingredients include bell peppers, green onions, celery, and cream cheese or sour cream.
Stuffed calamari is a seafood dish made from hollow calamari stuffed with stuffing and typically fried in cooking oil. Many stuffed calamari recipes call for fillings made from sausage, shrimp, crabmeat, and breadcrumbs, as well as various vegetables for added flavor. Stuffing squid typically involves only stuffing the body cavities of these squids after the innards and tentacles have been removed, and these prepared squid bodies are often called squid tubes. Because of the precision required to cut them properly, calamari tubes are often available frozen and ready to fill once thawed.
Many recipes for stuffed calamari call for the finished calamari to be served over pasta, such as angel hair or linguine, with tomato or marinara sauce. Some cooks like to make this type of red sauce from scratch, while others prefer to simply add seasonings like garlic salt and black pepper to canned tomato sauce. Some other recipes call for the fried calamari to be served with a white wine sauce instead.
Some basic calamari stuffing recipes call for breadcrumbs and your choice of grated cheese to mix with the crab chunks, shrimp, and any other meat of choice. A raw egg and a small amount of water, lemon juice, or milk usually help bind all of these ingredients together. Favorite stuffing toppings include basil, oregano, and fresh minced garlic.
While some home cooks like to coat their stuffed calamari in additional breadcrumbs and drop them in an air fryer, others prefer to bake this dish in the oven for a lower-fat dish. The typical cook time for many stuffed calamari recipes is about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 177 degrees Celsius).
A common mistake for beginners to this recipe is to overfill the calamari. Experienced cooks recommend leaving a significant amount of space at the opening of each calamari tube. This allows the filling to expand as it cooks.
Popular chopped greens for this dish include bell peppers, green onions, and celery. For a richer texture and taste, some cooks prefer to mix them with minced meat or seafood and a measured amount of cream cheese or sour cream instead of milk or water. Cooking sherry, along with lemon juice, can also help bring out the fishy flavors in this dish.
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