Maybe it’s the abnormally hot weather in SF, but I’m craving food that is: tangy, spicy, salty, juicy and fresh– nothing manicured, or tweezed to perfection, or ridiculously complex with subtle layered flavors. Give me big bright satisfying Mediterranean ingredients like: tomatoes, capers, olives, lemon, fresh whole fish, creamy white beans, spicy sausages, wood-fire slow roasted meats, and lots of fresh zesty herbs like oregano and flat leaf parsley.
Chorizo & Feta Stuffed Calamari with Marinated bean salad
Or just give me a table somewhere in the Mediterranean on the beach with a bottle of rosé and let me pick through the seasonal menu at my leisure while basking in the sun and salty sea air… that could work too…
A few tricks of the trade when it comes to calamari: if buying frozen tubes (which is fine, I’m not judging, they’re cheap!) make sure to thaw carefully in the refrigerator or under running cold water. Tubes pulled apart while frozen will rip and be unstuffable. If they do break just grill them anyway and slice into rings – they make a great addition to the marinated bean salad.
If buying fresh calamari that are not cleaned either keep the purple outer coat on with the floppy side rudders or peel it all off. I prefer to peel it off. I think they grill and sear better without that flimsy purple coat. However, I sometimes leave it on for braised calamari.
Stuffed Calamari!
Make sure to finger inspect the inside of each tube, that goes for the frozen ones too, and pull out the inner clear plastic-looking cartilage. This innertube cartilage is inedible and it’s easy to choke on because it’s practically invisible. Always check for freshness and keep refrigerated until ready to cook. They go bad quickly. If they smell ammoniated throw them out.
How to Stuff Calamari – do NOT overfill!
When it comes to stuffing calamari be creative! Sometimes I use ricotta & herbs, or mushrooms & crab, or sausage & tomato, or feta & sausage. Just keep in mind that the stuffing can’t be too wet. That doesn’t mean breadcrumbs are necessary (I rarely use them), but the stuffing will ooze out during the cooking process if it’s too juicy and this will cause flare-ups on your grill or it will give you a messy pan sear.
Chorizo, Feta, and Mint Stuffing for Calamari
Do NOT overstuff the calamari tubes. They will either break while filling or burst while cooking. Once the calamari hits the frying pan or the grill, it puffs up and changes from a slippery floppy plastic-y thing into a taught turbo tube. Only fill to 1/2-inch of the mouth of the tube and secure it with a toothpick. (pictured above – see how they are just gently filled and they don’t look they are going to pop?)
I prefer to use a pastry bag to fill or just a regular ziploc with the corner cut off – this makes the process much easier. I lie both the stuffing bag and the tube flat and squeeze instead of holding them in my hand. If you’re doing 100 of these little guys, I guarantee my method will make it go faster.
Marinated white beans salad with: cherry tomato, oregano, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley
And one last tip: LUBE your TUBE before grilling or pan searing with cooking oil! This will help to minimize breakage.
Sear stuffed calamari on a hot grill (or hot pan) and remove to a less hot spot to cook through. They only take a few minutes to cook , overcooked they’re tough and rubbery. The calamari will be opaque white when done. If there’s concern about the stuffing temperature, then by all means stick your finger in there and see if it’s hot! Or insert a testing rod and check it against your bottom lip.
This chorizo and feta stuffing is salty (in a good way) but needs the vinaigrette of the Tuscan salad to cut through it so liberally serve up the tomatoes and beans. Hope this hits the spot!
Ingredients
- STUFFED CALAMARI:
- 12 medium size calamari tubes, cleaned (about 2 pounds)
- 2 chorizo sausages, cooked out of casing and crumbled
- 1 cut feta, crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
- toothpicks
- olive oil for cooking
- MARINATED TOMATO & BEAN SALAD
- 12 ounces white beans (gigante or white kidney) cooked gently until tender
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 clove garlic, thinly shaved
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 small Meyer Lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup salted capers (do not rinse)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 pinches red chili flakes
- Salt & white pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley and oregano leaves
Please read the above mentioned tips and tricks of the trade for cleaning, stuffing, and cooking calamari!
In a small mixing bowl mix together all of the ingredients for the marinated tomato and bean salad. Taste and adjust seasoning. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or up to a day. Gently toss the salad every now then while it's marinating. If you are using salted capers, then use the salt to from the jar to adjust the seasoning.
In another small mixing bowl mix together cooked and crumbled chorizo (you can use any sausage), feta, and chopped mint. It will be dry and that's okay but it should be well mixed. Fill a pastry bag (or ziploc) with stuffing and cut a small opening at the tip wide enough for the filling to come out.
Fill tubes gently with chorizo feta stuffing up to 1/2-inch of the mouth of the tube. Secure the top with a toothpick. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Lube the tubes before cooking with olive oil.
On a hot well oiled grill or cast iron pan sear calamari on both sides until browned or grill marked, about 1 minute each side. Then remove to a less hot place (or turn down the heat) and cook through on each side for another few minutes. Calamari cooks fast. When the tubes are white and the stuffing is hot, they are done.
Take out the toothpicks in the tubes and serve over tomato and white bean marinated salad. Spoon the vinaigrette over all and enjoy!
Ah! Squid! One of my favorite high-protein foods. Good for everyone, especially moms-to-be. This looks like a pretty swish stuffed squid recipe using ingredients I can get my hands on, but you know what makes it even better?
That you slipped in a reference to go out and watch some g*y pr0n.
Not that I’m going to do that – it’s really not my sort of thing and is generally NSFW. But the suggestion is hilarious and will make things difficult when I try the recipe because I know I will get a case of the giggles.
Well it is hard to resist the vast array of sexual innuendos when it comes to a condom shaped sea creature! Endless jokes in the kitchen as I’m sure you can imagine if you’ve ever worked with squid.
I had no idea they were so good for moms to be! Seems like a lot fish is on the wait-9- months list. Do tell more about the benefits!!! 🙂
Well, it’s not the shape of the product, but the suggestion for lubrication (eek).
There is a condition colloquially known as “mommy brain” where the brain of the mother shrinks measurably in the third trimester (the volume recovers postpartum), which is thought in part due to hormonal changes and in part due to the last push by the fetus to complete development before the Big Reveal.
Irrespective, once the placental connection is established the fetus is going to feed through the mom, so if your diet doesn’t provide enough of something, it’s going to pull from the mom herself. DHA and EPA (omega-3 fatty acids) are great for neurological development and both are abundant in squid which is also a good source of high-quality protein. When the time comes, this would be a great dish to add to the dinner rotation.
That’s fascinating! Does that “mommy brain’ also include the forgetfullness that some pregnant woman experience? I know a prenatal vitamin with DHA is pretty much mandatory these days. I always have trouble with the fish oil pills though, they don’t really sit right with me – I’d rather eat the actual fish.
Anyhoo, good to know, good to know! Thanks!
“Mommy brain” has also been used to reference the forgetfulness, though that again is likely more related to hormonal changes/effect than the decrease in brain volume.
You take those prenatal vitamins because apart from all those micro-nutrients, extra DHA can’t hurt (omega-3s also protect the heart). In all honestly, you’re better off eating the fish: DHA and EPA plus high-quality easily digestible protein. Agriculture and access to fish was probably why early humans made such enormous developmental leaps (probably not the aliens).
Ms. Glaze, this was delicious. I love stuffed calamari and this reminded me of the signature squid dish at Kokkari in SF.
Wattacetti, I pretty much spit out my morning tea, I laughed so hard at your comment!
The first comment of course…
um, why is my advertisement agency now scrolling Monterey Bay Aquarium and a giant squid video on the righthand column of this blog? Feeling guilty….
No aquarium for me: I’m getting cruise lines and an offer to join a Chr*stian singles dating site.
But you shouldn’t be feeling guilty unless you intentionally purchased frozen trawled squid from China, India or Thailand. Atlantic and California squid are considered acceptable alternatives by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=squid
I also prefer to peel it off the outer purple coat of calamari. This salad is very delicious! It would have been perfect with lunch outside under a tree or at the beach.