Calamares a la romana (fried calamari)

Squid rings in a light, crisp coating, served with lemon and - in Madrid - stuffed into a crusty bread roll as the legendary bocadillo de calamares. Dry squid and hot oil are the whole game.

Ingredients

• 600 g cleaned squid, cut into 1 cm rings (tentacles too)
• 150 g plain flour
• 1 tsp sweet pimentón (optional)
• Salt
• Sunflower or mild olive oil for frying
• Lemon wedges
• Alioli to serve (optional)

Method

1. Pat the squid very dry with kitchen paper - this is what makes the coating crisp instead of soggy.
2. Mix the flour with the pimentón and a teaspoon of salt, and toss the rings until evenly coated. Shake off the excess.
3. Fry in very hot oil (190 C) in small batches for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until pale gold. Do not crowd the pan.
4. Drain, salt immediately and serve with lemon. For the Madrid experience, pile them into a crusty baguette-style roll with a smear of alioli.

Tips

• Small batches keep the oil hot; a crowded pan steams instead of fries.
• If the squid is tough it was either cooked 2 minutes or 20 - there is no middle ground.