Baked Stuffed Calamari
Baked Stuffed Calamari
I’ve been following “From The Bartolini Kitchen” blog for more than four years. John’s blog and now book of the same name is a record of recipes that pay homage to his Italian heritage, the food he ate as a child when his large extended family all lived together, the food his mother and aunt cooked, the food that evoked the nostalgia of childhood.
In March John posted the last recipes of that project. His timing was impeccable as his elderly aunt, the source of many of the recipes and the arbitrator of flavour passed away soon after.
I filed this recipe away immediately after the post hit my WP Reader and went looking for small fresh squid. Every visit to my fishmonger since, I’ve hoped to come home with squid, but found that all that was available was frozen tubes, no thanks, or tiny fresh arrow squid no bigger than my thumb. The week the arrow squid has finally grown just a little.
It may seem a tad esoteric, but I love the process of cleaning fresh seafood. I feel it keeps me in touch with the reality of my food source and enhances my gratitude for the beautiful fresh food I have available to me. Farmer’s Markets affect me in the same way.
Calamari is simple to clean. A gentle tug of the head will detach the innards from the body. They all come out cleanly attached to the head, then you simply cut across in front of the eyes to separate the edible tentacles ensuring there is no hard beak at the join. Discard the head and digestive tract.
The next step is to remove the backbone from the tube. The internal long thin transparent acetate-like piece runs the length of the tube, it should pull out easily. You then need to remove the skin. It’s important to remove it all as this is what turns calamari into rubber bands. I find the best way is to peel off the wings first. That will give you a broad edge to grasp so you can easily peel the skin from the remainder of the tube. Now peel the wings off the skin that came with them when you removed them from the body. All that’s left to do is rinse the tube inside and out, and rinse the wings and tentacles. The calamari is then good to go.
The delicately flavoured super fresh squid really shines in this dish. I’ve changed the original recipe just a little. Thanks John for the information, inspiration and the delicious calamari recipe.
I bought 1/2 kg for 2 people, uncleaned weight, nine small squid
Stuffed Calamari – serves 2
500g calamari, cleaned with tentacles and wings reserved
1 1/2 cups fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons oil
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C
Generously oil a shallow baking dish or 2 dishes for individual serves.
Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley lemon zest pepper and chopped squid wings and tentacles.
Dampen the mix with a little olive oil.
Stuff the breadcrumb mixture into the squid tubes, not too tight though as they will shrink when they cook.
Put the stuffed squid into the baking dish(es) with little space around so the heat can circulate drizzle over the remaining oil, then place on the centre rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon.
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53 comments on “Baked Stuffed Calamari”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
This looks exquisite…I will definitely have to try! 🙂
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It’s a beautiful dish, enjoy…
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Will do! Thank you for the recipe!
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I love stuffed calamari! I usually use the tentacles, rice, chorizo and some kale to stuff it. It is very delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe, I will sure try it 😀
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I really like your recipe, next time I have calamari I’ll try it 🙂
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looking good!!!
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😀
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I do not have access to fresh calamari. When I order it it is often prepared in an oriental fashion. This too sounds pretty amazing.
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Thanks..
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Beautiful!
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Thanks Liz, it’s a tasty light meal
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Oh this little looks amazing! No one else in my house likes seafood so I never make it. I have an Aussie friend visiting soon who loves seafood, I may make this for us!
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Yes Aussies love seafood, enjoy…
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WOnderful, Sandra (and John!) I last ate stuffed squid in BArcelona, Spain, recently, it´s such an exquisite dish to make & to have. Plus it makes me dream of summer by the seaside, what more can one ask for?
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I remember seeing this recipe on his blog too. I have three little calamari lovers begging for this!
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Totally craving this now
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Better get cooking 😉
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Bravo!
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Sandra, I had intentions of making that dish too but I never got around to it. I am so glad you did.
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Thanks Glenda, it just took me a while to get squid big enough to stuff, but worth the wait nevertheless.
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I love John’s recipes too, such an inspiration. Stuffed squid, mmm, what’s not to like?
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Thanks Linda. This captures the essence of good Italian food, few ingredients, simple preparation, enjoyment
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A rule to live by. 🙂
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Indeed!
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This dish looks exquisite! Whenever I travel I order calamari/squid/octopus in whatever form I can get it. It’s one of my favorites, but I can’t get it where I live. As a result I have no experience preparing it either…
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Oh I understand, how frustrating for you….
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Delicious looking squid. Lovely job. John runs a beautiful blog.
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Thanks Conor..
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Oh yum! What a delicious dish Sandra and so lovely to pay tribute to John and the Bartolini family. I’ll be keeping an eye out for calamari next time I’m out at our local seafood shop to be able to try this. xx
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Simple and delicious. The flavour is delicate, the squid could easily be overwhelmed but the stuffing just right. Hope you find some squid soon…
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Aw, Sandra. This is so kind of you. I really love to hear that someone has made and enjoyed one of our family recipes. It’s all the better when the cook is as accomplished as you certainly are. Your calamari could easily pass for those made by a Bartolini. Easily. 🙂
Thanks, too, for the kind words in this Comments section.
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Very deserving John, you underestimate yourself, you have admiring fans worldwide. Thanks for being such a good blogging mate.
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Methinks we all love John and most love both squid and calamari . . . well, I have also always found pleasure in the cleaning: it is not messy and everything comes apart very easily until you are left with the shiny, slippery fresh-smelling end product in your hands 🙂 ! Have made and enjoyed John’s recipe – have to check out your differences . . . oh, cuttlefish too is on the menu whenever I can get it . . . wish I had a genie to take me to the Sydney Fish Market every fortnight!!
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I didn’t change much added lemon zest instead of juice, omitted the garlic because I can’t eat, used a bit more olive oil, a bit less bread, all in all it was delicious. John B has a lot of admirers
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This is a lovely recipe and you are so right to honor John. Your cleaning instructions are spot on. Great post.
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Thanks Stefan, It was quick to make once the squid were cleaned.
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That looks and sounds amazing!
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Thanks Michelle, it’s a tasty dish
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I shall have to see if I can get fresh calamari at the Fisherman’s Co-op. And start saving my GF bread crusts!
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Hope so, it’s delicious Kate, enjoy…
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Will definitely try this. Calamari is easy to find in Greece. I’ve just started following the bartolini blog as well!
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Chicago John’s a generous guy, I’m sure you’ll get on well. Do the Greeks have a classic stuffed calamari recipe?
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Yes, with feta🌹
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How surprising 😉
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We’re used to it! We use feta a lot in food (pies, bakes etc), to accompany vegetable dishes or to stuff things…
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A great classic Italian dish. I’m not sure how squid are marketed in America, but in Australia, squid and calamari are quite different, in texture, shape and price.I can pick up fresh squid for around $6-$7 a kilo while at the same time, fresh calamari retails at around $20 – $22 or more, depending on your fishmonger’s suburb. Squid in Australia is a very cheap and sustainable fish and is great in a dish like this, making it a cheap meal. When I get hold of small calamari, not arrowhead squid, expensive little critters that they are, I might use them differently.
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I’ve learned something here, I though calamari and squid were interchangeable names for the same critter while cuttlefish was an entirely different species. BTW have you seen the Bass Strait cuttlefish at the Melb Aquarium during mating season, they change their colours continuously which they flash and pulsate, an absolutely amazing sight. I paid $14/kg for arrow squid, made a cheap meal for 2
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Ah yes, arrow squid is super cheap, and in Melbourne, where it is often prolific in some markets, can retail for $7. True calamari has rounded wings and is a much finer skinned beast- at three times the price which is preferred for fast dishes, grilling and so on. I must go to that aquarium and see the cuttlefish mating- I’ve never been there.
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I’ve also bookmarked John’s recipe and am also a proud owner of his book. I’ve always been intimidated with the cleaning process of squid, but have watched my fishmonger do it. It is good to have your instructions so I shouldn’t be such a wimp about it. Vow to do this next time I get calamari.
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Don’t be intimidated by cleaning squid Debi, it’s not messy, everything is quite contained and to have the fresh seafood is such a bonus. Chicago John is a blogging stalwart, really enjoy his posts and comments
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This looks so good!
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Thanks you, it tastes fine too…
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I am sure it does!
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