Y’all know, I have said before that the most exciting thing about Pomodori e Vino is the challenge. This week the challenge was quite an adventure. It is my week to make Fried Calamari~ no problem! We Southerners are good at frying things!
The true challenge was to find a fresh squid in Birmingham. When Jan and I were cooking up our Bottarga in Venice… I wish we had bought some of these babies at the Rialto Fish Market and fried them up right then and there.

‘Allora’~ I was on a search. My first stop was Snapper Grabber’s in Vestavia~ the best place for fresh seafood in this area. (one word of advise… don’t go on monday because they are closed) I ended up at Whole Foods… and paid a whole paycheck for a bag of frozen squid. The best part about these squid are that they are already cleaned!

This vision played in my mind as I was prepping my little squids for frying~ If you can’t see it… it’s a you tube video of the Pescheria from Venice Travel Blog.

The sights and sounds are perfect~ the smells are undefinable!
The process of frying the calamari rings is very simple. Pat the rings dry, lightly coat with flour and shake off the excess. Fry in vegetable oil without crowding, drain and sprinkle with salt.
Once again, Marcella has provided us with the taste of fresh Italian cooking: one that swells with memories of the Pescheria in Venice.
Priceless!
Ciao y’all~
Sandi