Crispy Squid Fritters with Lemon
Golden squid rings folded into a light flour batter and shallow-fried until crisp, then lifted with fresh lemon zest and juice. A fast, bright plate that comes together in one pan.
- Total
- 22 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 14
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Pan-frying · Zesting
- Savory
- Quick
- Crispy
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Pat the squid rings very dry with paper towels. Grate the zest of the lemon into a small pile, then cut the lemon in half. Finely chop the garlic.
~4 min
Drying the squid prevents surface moisture from steaming the batter, which would stop it from crisping.
Dry the squid rings thoroughly before battering; any surface water steams the crust and stops it crisping.
Zesting Grate only the colored zest, stopping before the bitter white pith. A fine grater or zester gives fragrant strands without pith.
-
In the mixing bowl, whisk 80 g flour with 100 ml water, the chopped garlic, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper until you have a smooth batter the thickness of thin cream.
~2 min
A thin, smooth batter coats evenly and fries into a light, crisp shell rather than a heavy doughy one.
-
Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in the frying pan over medium-high until a drop of batter sizzles on contact. Dip the squid rings in the batter in small batches, let the excess drip off, and lay them in the pan in a single layer.
~2 min
A steady medium-high oil temperature sets the batter quickly so it crisps instead of absorbing oil.
Keep the oil at a steady medium-high: too cool and the batter drinks oil, too hot and it browns before the squid cooks through.
Pan-frying Keep oil at a steady medium-high; a drop of batter should sizzle on contact. Too cool and the fritters drink oil, too hot and they brown before the squid cooks.
-
Fry the fritters for 2 minutes per side, turning once, until the batter is deep golden and crisp and the squid is opaque and firm. Work in 2 batches so the pan is never crowded, about 8 minutes total.
~12 min
Frying in small batches keeps the oil hot so the fritters brown and crisp rather than steam.
Pan-frying Keep oil at a steady medium-high; a drop of batter should sizzle on contact. Too cool and the fritters drink oil, too hot and they brown before the squid cooks.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the fritters fry, stir the lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice into the mayonnaise to make a bright dipping sauce.
~2 min
-
Drain the fritters on paper towels, squeeze the remaining lemon juice over the hot crust, and serve at once with the lemon mayonnaise.
~2 min
Squeezing lemon over the hot crust adds bright acidity that cuts the richness of the fried batter.