Asian-inspired Fried Calamari with Gochuchang Sauce
Fried Calamari is a fairly common Italian appetizer but the restaurant Kō at the Fairmont has a great take on an Asian-inspired fried calamari on their menu that is served with a Gochuchang dipping sauce. This is my own interpretation of their appetizer. Gochuchang is a Korean spicy fermented dipping sauce. You can find it and mirin, a sweet rice wine, at a well-stocked upscale grocery store, Asian grocery store, or online. If you want to keep with the Hawaiian theme, try to track down some Aloha brand soy sauce as well.
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 350kcal
Author Irvin
Ingredients
Marinate
1poundcalamari tentacles and bodies already separated and cleaned455 g
1/2cupsoy sauce
3tablespoonsmirin
2inches ginger root, peeled and grated5 cm
2medium garlic clovesgrated or minced
Dipping sauce
1/3cupshoyu soy sauceAloha brand preferred
1/3cuprice wine vinegar
2tablespoonswhite sugar
3tablespoonsgochuchang sauce
2tablespoonssesame seeds
3medium green onionssliced
Frying batter
2cupsall-purpose flour280 g
1/2cupsemolina flour or cornstarch95 g
1teaspoonKorean red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2teaspoonpaprika
1teaspoonkosher salt
3/4teaspoonwhite pepper
To Fry
4cupsdeep frying oillike peanut, rice bran or avocado oil
To Garnish
1green onionssliced
Thai basil leavesoptional
Instructions
Slice the calamari body into 3/4-inch thick rings. Place the calamari parts in a medium sized bowl and add the soy sauce, mirin, grated ginger and garlic to the bowl. Stir to coat, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.
While the calamari is marinating, make the dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients together, whisking with a fork. Cover and set aside or place in the refrigerator if marinating the calamari overnight.
Once the calamari has done marinating, heat the frying oil in a wok or a large saute pan with straight sides, until it reaches 350°F. Combine all the ingredients for the frying batter in a large bowl, and stir vigorously with a whisk, until well blended and uniform in color. Using a chopstick or tongs, grab some marinated calamari, letting the marinate drip out, then place it in the dry ingredients of the frying batter. Toss to coat. You may need to separate the calamari from each other to make sure they are all individually coated pieces.
Fry the calamari is batches, trying not to crowd the pan, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oil and place on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet or on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining calamari, making sure the oil has gone back to 350°F before frying new batch. Once done, fry the basil leaves, if using, for 30 seconds or until the leaves have darkened. Garnish the calamari with the green onion slices and the fried basil leaves if using, and serve with the dipping sauce.