If you've ever dreamed of making delicious calamari dishes right at home, but just don't feel confident cooking with squid, you're not alone. This less-common seafood can be a bit out of the comfort zone for many home cooks, but it really shouldn't be!
Calamari is healthful and delicious seafood option that can be surprisingly versatile, and lends itself to so many different flavors and cuisines. Whether you want to make crispy fried calamari to enjoy with friends, a super-easy calamari pasta dish for weeknights, or company-worthy stuffed calamari for Sunday dinner, you'll find the the recipes you need right here.
So next time you're in the seafood aisle at the supermarket, go ahead and grab a pound or two of that calamari you've been eyeing. Once you start making calamari at home, you'll be hooked!
1. Calamari, Avocado, and Grapefruit Bruschetta
This brightly-flavored starter is delicious served with cocktails. Featuring a fresh blend of citrus, herbs, and grilled calamari, these will make you feel like you're dining seaside in the Greek islands.
Don't skip the step of rubbing the bruschetta with garlic, it totally ties this all together!
Get the recipe here.
2. Caldo de Mariscos
This traditional recipe features warm and smoky flavors, that are both comforting and energizing at the same time. Apparently, this dish is also known as caldo de siete mares, or "soup of the seven seas".
Long a favorite dish in Mexico, it's one that seafood lovers everywhere will enjoy!
Get the recipe here.
3. Instant Pot Calamari With Tomatoes
Here's a quick and comforting calamari dish, that only takes 25 minutes to put on the table. The combination of tomatoes, broth, and spices, makes this a wonderfully warming meal.
While it's weekend-worthy, it's so quick and easy this just may become a new weeknight favorite.
Get the recipe here.
4. Kalamar Tava (Turkish Fried Calamari)
Kalamar Tava is a Turkish dish of crispy fried calamari rings. Tender on the inside, and wonderfully crispy on the outside, you're going to love this recipe that's popular along the Turkish coastline.
This would be the perfect appetizer for enjoying with a good IPA, as you settle into the weekend on a Friday night!
Get the recipe here.
5. Cioppino (Seafood Stew)
Cioppino is a seafood stew that's just jam-packed with pretty much the full catalog of favorite seafoods. Shrimp, mussels, white fish, calamari, and even crab legs, are all simmered together in a rich broth.
While it might feel over-the-top, this gloriously flavorful stew is easier than it sounds.
Get the recipe here.
6. Pasta with Squid & Rye Bread Sauce
Here's an Italian recipe made with linguini, calamari, and a deliciously unique rye bread sauce. The flavors of rye and squid together may seem surprising, but it all just comes together and works.
It's worth choosing a high quality linguini for this, since every flavor and texture in this recipe plays a starring role!
Get the recipe here.
7. Sautéed Calamari with Roasted Garlic, Chilis and Feta
This Sautéed Calamari recipe is a joyful explosion of flavors and textures. Fresh greens, tangy feta, and flavorful calamari complement each other perfectly, and unlike so many of the fried calamari dishes, this feels like healthy "Mediterranean-style eating at its finest.
The garlic and chili peppers give this dish just the right amount of heat, and it's easy to tone down if (like me) you've got kids who don't like things too spicy.
Get the recipe here.
8. Spaghetti Mare e Monti
Here's a recipe that hails from the Marche region of central Italy. This mountainous coastal area features a culinary tradition that beautifully combines foods from both land and sea. coastline on the Adriatic sea. The food in this region is very influenced by both the land and the sea.
One thing to really love about this recipe is the combination of mushrooms along with the calamari. It's not a flavor combination you come across every day, but it works so well!
Get the recipe here.
9. Salt and Pepper Calamari
This classic Cantonese appetizer, is a combination of crispy squid with wonderfully warm and aromatic seasonings. The peppers add just the right touch of spicy sweetness, and the brightness of the green onions really ties it all together.
Next time you're craving takeout, but don't want to drive into town, this would be a fun dish to make at home!
Get the recipe here.
10. Spicy Sauteed Calamari
This quick and easy dish is a healthy and flavor-packed favorite. What I love about this particular recipe is the addition of capers and olives. Those intense, briny flavors meld so well with the calamari.
The buttered breadcrumb topping is full of herbs and adds a satisfying crunch, while fresh hot peppers add enough heat to help you slow down and savor this deliciously satisfying dinner.
Get the recipe here.
11. Oven Baked Crispy Calamari with Basil Lime Mayo
Looking for a crispy alternative to deep-fried calamari that feels a bit more virtuous, while not sacrificing the crunch? This Crispy Baked Calamari recipe is the answer. It's quick and easy to make, and can be on the table in under 30 minutes!
Pair these with that zesty Basil Lime Mayo dip that the recipe suggests, and you'll be good to go!
Get the recipe here.
12. Calamarata Pasta
Here's another Italian recipe, this time from southern Italy. Fresh calamari is slowly, slowly simmered in tomato sauce and garlic, until it's ready to be is combined with a wonderfully loopy pasta that has a shape similar to the calamari rings.
The result looks like a giant, grown-up version of Spaghetti-O's, but oh, so much more flavorful. It would be easy to argue that this dish is the very definition of comfort food.
Get the recipe here.
13. Stuffed Calamari
There are many recipes out there for stuffed calamari, and what I like about this one is the addition of a wine sauce, along with the brightness offered by a bit of lemon zest.
The actual stuffing features breadcrumbs that are tossed with garlic, parsley, and Parmesan, giving each bite a salty, herbed flavor that's just so good. Contrasting textures of calamari and stuffing complement each other perfectly.
Get the recipe here.
14. Grilled Calamari
This recipe will walk you through preparing delicious grilled calamari that's flavorful, and cooked to perfection. You'll love the marinade suggestions, which really take the flavor of the calamari to a whole new level.
Enjoy the grilled calamari as it is, toss it into a hearty salad, or tuck into a flatbread wrap with some arugula, avocado, and feta, for an unforgettable lunch. There are SO many ways to use perfectly-grilled calamari!
Get the recipe here.
15. Crispy Air Fryer Calamari
Is there anything an air fryer can't do? Use that miracle machine to create a guilt-free version of crispy fried calamari rings that you'll want to make again and again.
This recipe will walk you through getting that classic "fried calamari" taste and texture, but without all the oil. Don't skip the lemon, for squeezing over your fresh plate of crispy calamari!
Get the recipe here.
16. Paella
Perhaps the most beloved and well-known of all Spanish seafood dishes, Paella is impressive in every way. It's like a joyful cacophony of textures and flavors that all somehow come together in a celebration of all things seafood.
If you're not blessed with an actual Paella pan, please don't let that stop you from making this heavenly recipe. You'll manage just fine with whatever large pan you have, and your family or guests will love you for making this!
Get the recipe here.
17. Italian Stuffed Calamari
Here's another stuffed calamari recipe that's a real winner. A flavorful red sauce sets this one aside, and it's all served over creamy polenta, which is the perfect vehicle for the savory stuffed calamari.
This would be a great recipe for a Sunday dinner with friends. Don't skimp on the basil or cheese, they're the finishing touches that everyone loves!
Get the recipe here.
18. Squid Ink Pasta with Squids and Tomatoes
Here's a show-stopping pasta recipe that's made with squid ink! If you're looking for a recipe that's not too complicated, but is guaranteed to wow and impress, this is it.
Sweet and flavorful tomatoes brighten the dish in both appearance and flavor, while that stunning black pasta is smooth and satisfying.
Get the recipe here.
12 of the Cheesiest Comfort Dinners You'll Ever Make
If you've had one of those weeks, and are just craving cheesy comfort food, we have just the recipes you need. Here are some of the cheesiest, meltiest, most comforting dinners you could possibly wish for.
Get the recipes here.
17 Scone Recipes Worthy of Sunday Brunch
Is there anything better than a fresh scone made right at home? Whether you're looking for savory scones, like jalapeño cheddar, or a sweet recipe (do try the Earl Gray one, it's amazing!), you'll find a scone recipe here to please any palate.
These easy recipes are perfect for your next brunch, but once you've started baking scones at home, you're bound to find yourself making them "just because"!
Get the recipes here.
21 Easter Treats Too Cute to Eat
From precocious bunnies, to delicate birds' nests, to wooly little lambs--there are so many sweet themes to draw from at Easter time!
If you're looking for an adorable treat to make for your holiday celebration, here's a list of the cutest and most creative recipes for Easter treats that we've ever seen!
Get the recipes here.
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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