Fried Calamares with Caramelized Lemon Slices and Wasabi-lemon Sauce

Tangy and flavorful, these aren't your usual calamares.

Serves 4 to 6 
Prep Time 30 minutes 
Cooking Time 15 minutes

RELATED: calamares recipes

For the wasabi-lemon sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
tobiko for topping (optional)

For the caramelized lemon
1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
sugar for dipping

vegetable oil for deep-frying
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 cups cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1 kilo squid (including tentacles), peeled, cleaned,
      and sliced into thick rings

1  Make the sauce: Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, and wasabi. Top with tobiko (flying fish roe) if desired.

2  Make the caramelized lemon: Dip both sides of each lemon round in sugar and place in a sauté pan over medium heat. When sugar turns caramel in color, immediately take lemons out of the pan.

3  Make fried calamares: Heat oil. In a bowl, combine half of the flour and cornstarch. Place beaten eggs in another bowl, and the remaining flour in another. Toss squid pieces in the flour-cornstarch mixture, dip in beaten egg, then dredge in flour. Deep-fry in hot oil.

4  Arrange fried calamares in a paper towel-lined basket or platter and place caramelized lemons between squid pieces. Serve with wasabi-lemon sauce on the side.

Photography by Patrick Martires | Styling by Paulynn Chang Afable