Paul Delios's Deep Fried Calimari

Name: Paul Delios’s Deep Fried Calimari
Ingredients: Calimari Directions; 375 Preheat a fry kettle with Crisco shortening todegrees.; Drain 1 cup of calamari at a time, and toss in the breading mixture, coat well.; 2 Shake off excess breading and load the fry basket with the coated calamari, submerge inthe oil and cook for aboutminutes or until a light golden brown, drain well and drizzle with Sweet chili sauce.; For the Calimari; 2 pounds calamari rings and tentacles; 1 quart buttermilk; 6 Soakhours to overnight; For the breading:; 1 cup semolina; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper; Sweet Chili Sauce; 20 Aleppored chilies, or...; 10 Francochilies (red jalapenos); 2 red Bell peppers; 1/4 cup pickled crushed red pepper in the jar; 1-1/2 cups plain sugar; 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar; 1/2 cup wild thyme honey; 1 cup Red Wine Vinegar; 1/2 cup water; Zest of one lemon and juice; 10 cloves of finely minced garlic

Chef Paul Delios’s crunchy and tender calamari with a spicy sweet pepper sauce will be the hit of your dinner party. The spicy sauce starts out sweet and then heats up as it goes along.

Ingredients

Calimari Directions
375 Preheat a fry kettle with Crisco shortening todegrees.
Drain 1 cup of calamari at a time, and toss in the breading mixture, coat well.
2 Shake off excess breading and load the fry basket with the coated calamari, submerge inthe oil and cook for aboutminutes or until a light golden brown, drain well and drizzle with Sweet chili sauce.
For the Calimari
2 pounds calamari rings and tentacles
1 quart buttermilk
6 Soakhours to overnight
For the breading:
1 cup semolina
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper
Sweet Chili Sauce
20 Aleppored chilies, or...
10 Francochilies (red jalapenos)
2 red Bell peppers
1/4 cup pickled crushed red pepper in the jar
1-1/2 cups plain sugar
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup wild thyme honey
1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup water
Zest of one lemon and juice
10 cloves of finely minced garlic

Directions

I like to cut them in half - with the top half, I then split them down one side and remove the seeds and membranes. Then I cut them in a fine julienne. With the bottom half, I cut them into thin rings, leaving the seeds and membrane intact. This way I get a little bit of heat (from the seeds and membranes) and a mix of slivers and rings in the sauce.
In a saucepan I place the rest of the ingredients and my prepared chilies and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thickens. Give the mix a good stir when you first start, to make sure the sugars have dissolved in the liquid.
You can cook this longer to get a thicker sauce - it's really up to your preference.
Let it cool and store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

This recipe was featured on Season 18 - Episode 1805.