Calamares a la Romana

Name: Calamares a la Romana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1.25 lbs squid (cleaned), sliced into rings; 2/3 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1/8 tsp black pepper; 1.5 cups olive oil (for frying); 1 lemon, cut into wedges; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Crispy fried squid rings with a delicate golden crust, served with lemon wedges. A beloved Spanish tapas that's tender on the inside and crunchy outside.

25 minEasyServes 4280 cal/serving

SpanishAppetizerStovetopStandard

Ingredients

1.25 lbs squid (cleaned), sliced into rings
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1.5 cups olive oil (for frying)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1

Pat 1.25 lbs sliced into rings squid (cleaned) dry with paper towels.
2

In a shallow dish, combine 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp sea salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Mix well.
3

Heat 1.5 cups olive oil (for frying) in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 350-375°F).
4

Working in batches, dredge squid rings in flour mixture, shaking off excess, and place carefully in hot oil.
5

Fry for 1-2 minutes per side until golden and crispy. Turn gently with a slotted spoon.
6

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Keep warm in a low oven if batching.
7

Arrange on a serving platter, sprinkle with additional salt and 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, and serve immediately with 1 cut into wedges lemon.

Questions

Can I make Calamares a la Romana gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in this entry is 2/3 cup all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

How long does Calamares a la Romana keep?

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within two days (seafood turns fast). Reheat uncovered in a 400 F oven (or an air fryer) for a few minutes to bring the crust back; the microwave softens it.

Can I halve or double Calamares a la Romana?

Yes. As written it serves 4. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is a plain-text cooking reference of 4,481 recipes, free to read and cook from, with no account and no paywall. In the app, this entry scales itself: half, standard, or double batch, every quantity recomputed inside the step that uses it. No ads, no life stories, no photos of somebody else's dinner.

The entries are curated and public-domain sourced, written to a fixed template and checked against it: tested quantities, one closed vocabulary of methods, and precomputed half and double batches on every line. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser, instantly. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually, and the first 30 days are free.