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Monday, April 9, 2012

My Grilled Calamari Adventure

I love fried calamari and order it whenever I am at a restaurant that has it on the menu (which isn't very often for me).
When I ran across a package of calamari in the grocery store, I picked it up to try frying at home for myself.

I thought the package contained pre-cut calamari rings, but instead the pack contained cute little bodies with cute little legs.
I decided to stuff em and grill em. :)



I made a stuffing mixture by combining seasoned bread cubes, minced scallions, minced garlic, cracked black pepper, olive oil and a little bit of chicken stock.



I stuffed the calamari loosely, held the body closed and ran the skewer through the closed end (through both sides)...then ran the skewer through the length of the body. ( I should have taken a pic but didn't think to) You can close the ends with toothpics..



Then I rolled each one in olive oil and sprinkled with Big Poppa's Little Louie's Seasoned Salt with Black Pepper



onto a medium hot grill...



after about 4 minutes I used a spatula to help turn them over.... then I added the cute little legs onto the ends of the skewers. I figured they wouldn't take long to grill. (the legs were drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with Big Poppa's dry rub too)



The whole cook took maybe 8 minutes.



The looked like a cross between a pineapple and an alien. :)





I made a quick greek salad... greens, tomatoes, red onion slices, kalamata olives, olive oil, a splash of vinegar, cracked black pepper, coarse salt and feta cheese..



Topped the salad with scored, stuffed, grilled calamari.....







I removed them from the skewers, sliced and topped the salad....



I really liked these!! (once I got past the fact that they look like aliens) they were sooooo tasty. I loved them. :)



After grilling these and ahi tuna for the first time Okie Meets Ahi
I'm getting braver. :)

Definately think I need a trip to the ocean where I can get fresh seafood. Greece sounds great right now! "mmhmmm" :)

26 comments:

Frugal Canadian Hermit said...

That's kinda different Jeanie. They do look like aliens, but they still look tastey.

cowgirl said...

Thanks Mark! :) I imagine you see about as many calamari in Alberta as I see here in Oklahoma. :)
They were really tasty... I hope you try them sometime.
Also hope you're having a great evening!

Three Dogs BBQ said...

Jeanie, those look great. Were they rubbery at all?

Thanks,

Bill

Caribou said...

You need to start raising those in your pond ;)
They look fantastic and I love calamari when ever I can get it, too.
Great job!
Carolyn

LindaG said...

Definitely like little alien brains. ;o)
But they look great, too!

Thanks, as always for sharing with us. :o)

likeadeere said...

I love me some calamari. I love how you stuffed them, and the presentation is incredible - as always. You are a truly gifted person jeanie.

Big Dude said...

Unlike you, I've never met a calamari I thought was particularly tasty, but I believe you've turned it into a fantastic dish.

Anonymous said...

My kid learned to like calamari at a young age, and he thought it was the funniest thing ever to order them "with extra tentacles, please."

cookin willie said...

Cookin Willie here. Now that looks good. I love Calamari myself. I get it every year at our Greek Festival in town and I love Greek Salad. I have that almost every time we go to the local Greek restaurant. The Greek Festival sell the Calamari is form cups. My oldest boy had 5 of the big foam cups and boy was he sick. We love it.

cowgirl said...

Thanks Bill! They weren't rubbery at all. I cooked them for such a short time, I know they get tough when overcooked so I kept an eye on em.
I was happy with the texture and taste.
Hope you try them Bill! :)

cowgirl said...

lol Carolyn I have nightmares about the water dogs in my pond..I bet these would keep me awake at night. lol
Thanks Carolyn! :)

cowgirl said...

lol Linda, they look pretty strange. Thanks! :)

cowgirl said...

Joe thank you! That's very kind of you to say. (((HUG)))

cowgirl said...

Larry thanks! That means a lot to me coming from you!! :)

cowgirl said...

lol Kirby that's great!! Sounds like he knows what's tasty!
Thanks for stopping by. :)

cowgirl said...

Wow Willie, 5 cups would be amazing! :)
I like the sound of your greek fesival, bet I'd love it!
Thanks, and thanks for stopping by. :)

Three Dogs BBQ said...

The nex time you find those Jeanie, add some crabmeat to the stuffing. My mom would do that, them slowly simmer in marinara and serve over pasta. Maybe a slight smoke, the simmer in sauce. Either way, your calimari lollipops look great!

Mrs. JP said...

Well, I declare,,,those are the cutest little things, yummy too I bet.

cowgirl said...

Bill that sounds wonderful! I bet your Mom's crab stuffed calamari was excellent. Thank you for sharing the idea. I hope to find these at the store again. I will give your recipe a try.. Thanks Bill! :)

cowgirl said...

lol Mrs JP, Thanks!! Hope you are having a great week. :)

poetcomic1 said...

The little ones are the best. Better than the rings. And grilling is a perfect choice for these - they lose their character in breading.

cowgirl said...

Thanks Poetcomic! I was pleasantly surprised at how well these turned out. lol I knew not to overcook them. I will remember to look for the smaller ones in the future. Thanks! :)

Chris said...

Stunning presentation! The kabobs, the slits, and everything make this look so fancy!

cowgirl said...

Thanks Chris! :)

David said...

Gorgeous! If you get a chance try some baby octopus!

cowgirl said...

Thank you David! I will look for the octopus, I appreciate the heads up. :)