How To Clean Calamari

Calamari has shimmied its way into the hearts of many food lovers and onto the menus of a large scope of restaurant types. Thai, Chinese, American, Mexican (we’ve seen it) and too many fusion places to count have taken on their own versions of this traditionally Mediterranean dish. The word calamari, meaning squid, actually derives from the Italian language and can be found in many dishes of Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Albania, Cyprus and Egypt, among others. Its span has stretched further now into the Philippines, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Japan and Russian and many more countries. In short, it’s really popular everywhere. The tough part about the squid is actually cleaning and preparing them for cooking. A lot goes into making sure one of our favorite cephalopods is all set to be battered and deep-fried to fishy deliciousness. Serve with a homemade garlic aioli, some tartar sauce or a perfectly spiced pasta sauce and enjoy all of its great textures and flavors.

In this online cooking course with Chef Ceser, he teaches you how to clean your own squid to prepare it for whatever dish you dream up. We recommend throwing it in a paella, breading and frying it or sautéing it with some fresh garlic and a squeeze of lemon.